


Study Break

by rizascupcakes



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: College AU, F/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-15
Updated: 2017-10-26
Packaged: 2018-04-09 10:42:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 52,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4345460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rizascupcakes/pseuds/rizascupcakes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riza Hawkeye has learned that she and her friends catch altogether too many breaks, but if they can still graduate on time, she won't complain. (Too much.) [Modern!College AU]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm finally posting this on my other accounts! I finally came up with a title (subject to change, however, since I'm not 100% happy with it) so I'll post these here. Some are nsfw and I'll warn appropriately, since the rest are rated K+ or T. Thanks for reading!

If Riza had to pick a favorite time of year, she doubted midterms would come anywhere near the top hundred. The weather was pleasantly cool and the brightly-colored leaves had begun to fall, but she had little opportunity to enjoy it. She had hardly even looked up from her notebook on the way to the library, where she now sat surrounded by books and papers.

"Do you really need the whole table?" said an irritated voice. Riza looked up to see Roy leaning back in the chair across from her.

"If you're actually here to study for once, I'll let you take half," she offered, sweeping her notes into a neat pile and stacking all but one of her books on the corner farthest from Roy.

He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Come on, Riza, it's a beautiful day out there and you're missing it." Resting his chin in his hands, he leaned on his elbows and looked at her pleadingly.

Maybe he didn't need to study after all. If his goal was running for public office, she wasn't sure how anyone was supposed to resist him if he made that face. Riza kept her own as expressionless as possible as she pretended to read her textbook. "I suppose I could study later…"

"I'll help you," he said. Under the table, his foot brushed against the inside of her calf. "Everyone's staring at us now. Let's talk outside."

She wanted to ask whose fault that was but that would only draw more attention so she glared at him in silence as she tucked notes into her binder. Roy let his chair fall forward and jumped to his feet. Riza had scarcely managed to tuck her binder into her bag before he had lifted the pile of textbooks from the corner of the table. As best he could with both hands full, he gestured for her to pass him the one that lay open in front of her. She ignored him, slamming it shut and cramming it into her bag.

"I'll take those too," she said, holding out her arms expectantly.

He took a step back. "I already had to stitch your bag up once. I don't want it ripping again."

"I think it can handle two more books," she said, taking them when he backed into the next table. "There. Now it's even." With a satisfied smile tugging at her lips, she turned to place the books carefully in her bag. She zipped it shut, put her arms through the straps, and turned to leave, looking back at Roy over her shoulder with an expression she hoped was somewhere between seductive and amused.

Shifting the books under one arm as he jogged up to Riza, he wrapped the other around her shoulders. He plucked at the sleeve of her hoodie. "This is mine, isn't it?" he asked.

"You left it in my dorm last week," she said. "Would you like it back?"

"Nah, go ahead and keep it. It looks better on you anyway." His breath shifted loose strands of her hair over her ear.

The walk back to the dorms was a peaceful one: nearly everyone was inside studying. Riza tucked her hands into the pocket of her jacket as a cold breeze brushed past them, sending dry leaves swirling around their feet. Roy made an effort to step on as many as he could reach without pulling Riza off course. Smiling to herself, she shook her head.

"What's so funny, Riza?" he asked without even looking at her.

She dug her elbow gently into his ribs. "You."

Roy pulled her closer, dragging her toward a large pile of leaves just off the sidewalk. "We'll see about that."

"Don't ruin my books," she warned with a feeling of resignation.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said. He cradled them to his chest as he sank backward into the leaves, pulling Riza down on top of him.

She raised her eyebrows. "Don't tell me you spent your entire Saturday gathering all the leaves you could find on campus just to do this."

"I don't have to tell you," he said smugly. "You figured it out yourself."

Of course he would do something like this. Silly and strange and almost a little romantic if she turned her head sideways and squinted. She pried her textbooks away from him to set them gently on the grass then leaned forward like she intended to kiss him. His eyes closed instinctively and her hands went to his waist, untucking his shirt. Her mouth was inches from his.

With parted lips, Roy let out a tiny sigh. "This isn't like you at all, Riza," he said, a note of pleasure in his tone. "Maybe you should drop one of your courses before the stress—"

She shoved an armful of leaves up his shirt. "You were saying?"

Roy's eyes snapped open and he struggled to get out from under her, leaves crunching against his stomach as she held him down.

"Riza?" Rebecca's surprised voice made the back of Riza's neck burn. "I thought you were studying."

"I was," Riza said, sitting up and craning her neck to look at her roommate. "I'm taking a break now."

Rebecca kicked a few stray leaves off the sidewalk, laughing. "I told you I'd be out all day. You two could've just gone back to our room."

"Careful," Roy warned from the ground where he was desperately trying to pick fragments of leaves from his stomach. "You'll be next."

Rolling her eyes, Rebecca turned away. "You kids have fun," she called over her shoulder.

Riza moved off of Roy to kneel in the leaves beside him. The last thing she wanted was for more people to find them like that. She gathered her books to her chest and stood, brushing leaves from her clothes with her free hand before extending it to Roy.

"Thanks," he said, tucking his shirt in again. He seemed to have given up on getting the leaves out. Riza stared at him, head cocked slightly in amusement. "What are you looking at?"

"You have a leaf in your hair." She reached for it but he got there first. He twirled the stem between his fingers as he examined it. Without warning, he dipped it forward to tickle Riza's nose. She sneezed in response.

"Bless you," Roy said. He tossed the leaf aside.

Riza rubbed her nose on her sleeve. While she was distracted, Roy took the books back. "I can carry those," she protested, holding out her hands.

"You just got snot all over my jacket. I think you need all the help you can get."

"I did not." She held up her arm for inspection as they started walking again. "And I thought it was mine anyhow, considering you told me to keep it."

Wrapping an arm around Riza, Roy bumped his hip into hers. "So, dinner tonight?"

"We have dinner every night," she said.

"At the cafeteria. I was thinking we could go somewhere nice for once." He gave her a quick squeeze and she leaned into it contentedly, slipping her arm around his waist. His warmth provided a nice contrast to the chilly afternoon and it was nice to be close to him when they had hardly seen each other at all in the past week.

Back in Riza's room, Roy flopped onto her bed after depositing her books on the desk. She supposed he was exhausted after spending the day preparing to surprise her with a pile of leaves, and as guilty as she felt for taking time off from studying, she was grateful to him. They hadn't played in the leaves like that since they were kids, and it was nice to know that, even now that they were juniors in college, he still had a sense of mischief. She had always loved that about him in spite of herself.

"So," he said as she knelt beside the bed to exchange her backpack for a purse, "how long do you think we have before Rebecca comes back?"

She stood to look at him, sprawled out in what she now recognized as an attempt at seduction rather than an expression of exhaustion. It wasn't even a good attempt, but she leaned down to kiss him anyway. "Not long enough," she said. She pressed her lips to his once again, this time allowing him to deepen the kiss. His lips were chapped from his time out in the wind but his tongue was soft against hers, and surprisingly gentle.

His eyes fluttered open when she pulled away, lips still parted. Her stomach growled and his tender expression immediately dissolved into a smirk. "Someone's hungry. It's a good thing I rescued you when I did."

"I was planning to eat when I got hungry," she said. "So let's go." She extended a hand to pull him up.

Fortunately, it turned out that Roy's idea of "someplace nice" wasn't the Taco Bell across the street the way she had quietly feared. Instead, he led her down a tree-lined path on the far side of campus. The path curved but Roy continued straight through the underbrush until they reached a crowded parking lot.

They had to wait for a table and Riza picked up a menu to read while they waited, although she wasn't sure how much trouble she would have deciding what to eat at a pizza place. She felt Roy's arm around her again. "Smile, Riza," he said and she looked up to see him holding up his phone. Her hair was a mess and she had bags under her eyes, but as she leaned into him, she smiled nonetheless.

"You're going to post that, aren't you?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

He looked genuinely surprised. "You don't like it?"

"I look like I haven't slept all week."

"At least I finally have proof that you're human," he teased, brushing her bangs out of her face.

A waitress appeared before Riza could respond past giving Roy a dirty look. They settled into a small booth beside the window. Blinding golden light from the sunset streamed through the glass, and Riza struggled to read her menu through the scratched plastic cover. She propped it up against the window. Beneath the table, Roy's foot nudged hers.

"I think you're beautiful," he said once he had her attention. "In the picture. And now."

Unsure of how best to respond, she looked back at the menu. "Thanks," she said softly. With her free hand, she reached up to unclip her hair, smoothing out the kinks where the clip had been. His foot touched hers again, the toe of his shoe running along the inside of hers, tracing the arch of her foot. Riza tucked the clip into her pocket and rested her hand on the table.

"You ready to order?" he asked, reaching out to lace his fingers through hers.

Riza closed the menu and set it on the edge of the table. "I suppose so. Are you?"

"I think you should choose what kind of pizza we get. To make up for lost study time." He squeezed her hand.

"If that's what you're worried about," she said, using the other hand to rifle through her purse until she found a stack of index cards, "you can quiz me while we wait."


	2. Chapter 2

The weather took a turn for the worse as Halloween approached. Freezing rain pounded against the window, illuminated occasionally by lightning. Riza watched it from a worn out couch where she sat with Rebecca's head on her shoulder and Roy's in her lap. She played absently with his hair as she glanced at the rest of their rather subdued group. Jean, Heymans, and Kain sat on the floor, playing the quietest poker game she'd ever seen between the three of them. None of them had accused anyone else of cheating or even so much as muttered a swearword as he handed over lost change. On the opposite couch, Gracia and Maes looked half-asleep.

"I'm bored," Roy declared as he pouted up at the ceiling, arms folded across his chest.

"I think we're all bored," Jean said. He slammed his cards down on the carpet. The others nodded in agreement, all looking more awake than before.

Roy forced himself up, swinging his legs off the couch and moving closer to Riza, his hand searching for hers. "In that case," he said, "I have an idea." His voice had taken on a tone Riza knew all too well; it was the same one he used whenever he tried to coax her into something forbidden, from skipping out on a lecture to get coffee to fooling around in her father's classroom back in high school. He had never succeeded in the case of the latter, although she was weak to the former on cold, dark mornings. Tonight, however, she was simply curious.

"Let's hear it then," Heymans said after several moments' silence.

"There's a rumor that the social science building is haunted." He reached into his pocket. "And I have a key."

Rebecca reached for it. "Did you steal that?" she asked.

"Of course not. I'm no thief." Roy slipped the key back into his pocket and shoved Rebecca's hand away. "I think," he went on, "we should make it into a competition."

"You mean, to see who's too afraid to stay overnight?" Kain asked nervously.

Roy nodded. "And the losers owe the winner money—or favors if they can't afford it," he added when Riza glanced at him. Her shoulders relaxed, even though she had no intention of losing.

"Sounds interesting," Maes said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I'm in."

Gracia and the poker players agreed to join as well, leaving Roy to turn to Riza and Rebecca. "Ladies?"

"Sure," Rebecca said with a shrug. "It's not like I have a better way to spend my Friday night."

"Riza?" Roy bumped their joined hands against her thigh.

"There's no such thing as ghosts," she muttered. From experience, she knew he would neither get caught nor in trouble but she couldn't help but worry. Nothing about this struck her as being a good idea.

Roy looked crestfallen. "So that's a no?"

"No, I'll go," she said. She squeezed his hand and held his gaze, trying to communicate without words what a disaster she thought this would be.

An hour later, they all stood outside the old building, shivering in their raincoats while Roy fumbled with the key. He held up his phone to illuminate the lock. Swearing under his breath, he finally managed to get the door open and ushered the rest of the group inside. The familiar smell of the building washed over Riza, old and musty and just a bit like her middle school's library. Lightning flashed with thunder immediately after and she felt something grab her arm. Biting back all thoughts of the superstitious, she turned to see Roy illuminated by a second bolt of lightning.

"Don't tell me you're scared," she said.

"Of course not. Come with me." His voice tickled her ear as he led her away from the rest of the group into an empty classroom. Roy shut the door behind them. In the dark, he felt for Riza again, as though she were an anchor. With his other hand, he illuminated his phone. The light was enough for them to safely navigate the desks in the room and they each sat on top of one, with their feet on the chair between them.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked, squeezing one of his thighs between hers.

Even though she couldn't make out the details of his face in the faint light from the phone in their laps, she thought he looked nervous. "The future," he said.

She shook her head with a smile. "You didn't have to lock me in a haunted classroom to ask about that." As soon as she said it, she realized that maybe he did. Back at home, they always took for granted the privacy that Christmas allowed them. They had even shared a room after Christmas took her in in the years following her father's death. She missed the comfort of their late-night conversations even more than she missed not having to sneak around when it came to the physical side of their relationship.

"Riza—what was that?" A scream came from somewhere down the hall and they immediately disentangled themselves to walk to the door. Roy opened it a crack and stuck his head out, looking in the direction of the scream.

"Can you tell what happened?" Riza asked.

He pulled his head back in. "Too dark. Let's go."

"Before we do, I have to know something."

"Sure," he said. He held up his phone to see her face.

"You weren't about to propose to me back there, were you?"

Roy shook his head emphatically. "Of course I wasn't. We've already talked about waiting to get married and—goddammit, is that Kain or Gracia?" Turning around, he yanked the door open and stepped out into the hall with Riza at his heels. She still wondered what it was he had wanted to say, but if someone was hurt, this wasn't the time for it.

They found Kain huddled by the outside doors. His entire body shook as he hugged his knees to his chest. Riza crouched beside him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Let's go back," she said.

"B-but the bet—I don't want—"

"Forget the bet," Riza said. "I'll lose with you." She helped him to his feet.

Roy pulled her close for a quick kiss. For once, she didn't mind in the slightest that he had done it in front of someone else. "I'd come with you but someone has to lock up when we leave," he said.

"I know." She gave him a reassuring smile and he looked as though he might kiss her again. "Make sure everyone else gets back safe, ok?"

Turning away, she slipped an arm through Kain's and led him out into the storm. He was shaking, whether from the cold or fear she didn't know. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"When I came out of the bathroom, everyone was gone," he said. She could barely hear him over the wind.

Riza gave his arm a reassuring squeeze, smiling over at him even though he was looking straight ahead. "It won't happen again. You can spend the night in my dorm if you're scared." He relaxed against her with a sign of relief she was surprised she could hear.

Their building was warm and well-lit, a welcome relief after the pouring rain. They shed their raincoats in the elevator, waiting in silence until it reached their floor; Riza followed Kain to the end of the hall.

"Just knock I'll let you in, okay?" she said as he opened his door. He stuttered out his agreement and she turned back down the hall to her own room. It took longer than she would have guessed for him to show up at her door; she had already changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed, half expecting he had changed his mind and fallen asleep. He knocked so quietly she almost didn't hear it, but she got out of bed and opened the door. Poor Kain was shaking from head to toe, clutching his pillow tightly. Riza guided him to her bed, helping him under the covers since he didn't seem capable of doing it himself.

Watching him over her shoulder, she moved to turn out the light. He didn't make so much as a sound in the dark, and she climbed into Rebecca's bed, exchanging her friend's pillow for her own since Kain had brought his. She closed her eyes. Though the storm still pounded at the window, she was exhausted enough that sleep came easily.

It was still dark when Riza woke to a scream. She lifted her head sleepily, somewhat confused at first as to how she had ended up on the wrong side of the room. The light came on to reveal Rebecca standing in the doorway, soaking wet hair hanging limp around her face and eyes wide with horror. "Riza? Thank god it's you," she said, sinking against the frame. "What are you doing in my bed?"

In answer to her question, Kain popped up from under Riza's covers. "'S there another ghost?" he muttered, smacking his lips.

"I think Rebecca saw one," Riza said. Kicking back the blanket, she sat up. "What time is it anyway?"

"Just past four. We had to leave so Roy could lock up." Rebecca didn't even bother changing into her pajamas; she simply pushed the door shut and got into bed next to Riza, pushing her toward the wall.

"Aren't you going to turn out the light?" asked Kain.

"You do it." Rebecca rolled over to face Riza, eyes already closed. "And not a word of this to the other boys, you hear me?"

"A word of what?" he asked.

"That's the spirit."

Riza considered pointing out that perhaps Kain was too tired to realize that Roy would be incredibly jealous that Riza would share a bed with Rebecca and let Kain stay in their room rather than leaving to stay with him, and too innocent to consider that Jean might find such an arrangement an auspicious piece of news. It was well known that Rebecca enjoyed snuggling, and she had already wrapped an arm around a mildly disgruntled Riza. It had taken her a long time to get used to cuddling with Roy and she still wasn't quite comfortable doing it with anyone else. Still, she closed her eyes once again and tried to force all thoughts of paying up out of her mind. With any luck, she wouldn't have to do more than hand out copies of her notes.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW content ahead

Rebecca shoved a bright orange shopping bag into Riza's arms with a distinctly devilish expression. She must have skipped class to go to the Halloween store, Riza realized, and she opened the bag with a sense of foreboding, holding it as though she expected something to jump out at her. What she found was almost worse. She removed the costume with disgust. "'Lustful Lieutenant'?Rebecca, what the _hell_? Am I supposed to wear this?"

"You still owe me a favor," Rebecca said, flopping onto her bed with an expression of smug triumph. Riza resisted the urge to throw a pillow at her.

"I'm not sure how humiliating myself at a costume party counts as a favor," Riza said dryly.

"You won't humiliate yourself," Rebecca assured her. "Every year, you show up dressed like a zombie or a mummy or something. You never wear anything flattering and it's a damn shame. You've got a lot to show off."

"That's because it's always freezing this time of year," Riza said. Considering the fact that this party was going to be in their building, it probably wasn't the best excuse.

As though she had read Riza's mind, Rebecca's face lit up. "Perfect. I had thought it was because Roy would get jealous if you started attracting attention from other guys."

"He might, but that's not my concern." Riza turned the costume over to check the measurements. It was only one night and she could escape to her room whenever she wanted. And now that Rebecca had brought him up, she relished the idea of making Roy squirm. Perhaps she wouldn't be returning here alone.

"So are you going to do it or not?" Rebecca folded her arms across her chest.

"I'll do it." Setting the costume aside, Riza pulled a textbook from her desk. Her phone lit up but she ignored it until she had found the first page of the assigned reading and opened her notebook to a blank sheet. The notification showed that Roy had sent a snapchat. Curious, she opened it to see him already in costume, complete with hat and eye patch. "Arrr u coming tonight scurvy lass?" Riza laughed aloud at that; at least he'd had the sense not to call her wench.

She replied with a picture of her book: "Do your homework." A few sentences into the first paragraph, she received a picture of Roy frowning. He had drawn a tear in the corner of one eye. She turned her phone off.

By the time Rebecca insisted they would be late if they didn't start getting ready immediately, Riza had only three pages left. Deciding it was safer to leave them until later than to ignore her friend, she closed the book. The costume seemed even more scandalous now that it was time to put it on than it had when she first saw it. Once Rebecca's back was turned, she changed as quickly as she could; the skirt went on easily but the top was too small and nearly impossible to button even though it was cut low across her chest. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and thought she looked distinctly un-Riza-like, between the scandalous outfit and how disheveled her hair was from taking her sweater off. Rebecca, when she turned around, seemed pleased by what she saw.

"You look hot, Riza," she said, coming over to smooth Riza's hair.

"So do you." If anything, Rebecca looked much better; she was perfectly at ease in her sailor costume, which was even more revealing than Riza's.

Rebecca handed Riza her liquid eyeliner and closed her eyes patiently. This had almost become a tradition for them; Riza's steady hands meant that she applied it perfectly every time. In return, Rebecca helped her pick out the best shade of lipstick for the occasion. Tonight, she had set out a brand new tube of a wine red shade Riza assumed she had bought at the same time as the costume.

Once Rebecca's transformation into a pinup girl was complete, Riza did her own makeup in front of the mirror, taking care to coat it on thicker than she would have without the possibility of Rebecca claiming she hadn't held up her end of the bargain.

"Ready?" Rebecca asked, making a few last minute adjustments to her costume.

Riza, unsure that she would ever truly be ready, nodded.

They walked down to the longue arm in arm; somehow, they had managed to arrive early. The only other people in the lounge were acquaintances from other floors, keeping to themselves in tight clusters. Riza sat on the couch and crossed her legs, tugging the skirt as far down her thighs as she could, which wasn't far at all. She kept her arms loosely at her sides; to do anything else would only make her breasts look even more comically large than they already did.

"Hey, Rebecca," Jean said as he and Heymans approached. "Looking good. Where's—wait, is _that_ Riza?"

"Of course it's me," she said, feeling disgruntled.

"Roy's going to have a heart attack when he sees you," he said.

Before Riza could come up with a smart retort about how it was silly to think Roy would have a heart attack when he had seen considerably more of her on multiple occasions, she heard Roy himself say, "What's this about a heart attack?"

"Stand up, Riza," Rebecca said, taking her hands and pulling her to her feet. For the moment, Riza didn't feel quite so self-conscious anymore.

"What took you so long?" she asked.

"I was admiring the view. I don't get to see you dressed up like this very often." He looked slightly flustered but still almost as pleased as Rebecca and she couldn't help but smile.

She stepped into Roy's arms, relief settling over her as he hugged her close. "You looked like you were about to rip someone's throat out. What did Rebecca do to convince you to wear something like this?" he asked. His breath was hot against her ear.

"I owed her a favor," Riza explained.

Roy's lips curled into a smirk against her cheek. "That reminds me: I believe you still owe me one as well. Why don't we take this upstairs?"

Anything to get away. Besides, it had been weeks since they'd had a chance to do anything remotely sexual and she missed it at least as much as he did. She licked her lips. "Let's go."

They left the party with arms around each other's waists. Riza did her best to ignore the suggestive comments Rebecca called at their backs. The elevator offered them more privacy and Roy pulled away from her, looking a bit sheepish. "You don't owe me anything," he said as the door opened to their floor. "I just didn't like how uncomfortable you looked so I thought I'd give you a chance to escape."

Riza stared at him for so long he had to hold his hand in the door to keep her from being sent back downstairs alone. "You mean, you don't want to—you're not interested—"

"Oh, I want to alright. But only if you do too, not because of some dumb bet." With his free hand, he lifted his plastic eye patch, attempting to remove it without knocking his hat to the floor. Riza stepped forward to take it from his head and planted a kiss on his nose.

"I'll be glad to be finished with these favors," she said. "And I've been wanting to get you alone for some time now." She pulled her room key from the pocket of her jacket, noting how strange it was that such a flimsy costume had real pockets when the ones on her nicest pants were fake.

Inside the room, she led him to her bed. He sat on the edge to remove his boots and sat with his back against the headboard, propping her pillow behind him. Riza kicked off her own shoes, moving to lie between his legs. She kissed up his thighs, fingers working to unbutton his pants. His hands pushed her hair away from her mouth, continuing to stroke it as she knelt to kiss his lips and trailing down her back as their tongues met. With practiced fingers, she reached into his boxers to stroke his cock; it had already begun to harden with the intensity of their kiss and it took little coaxing for her to free it. Meanwhile, Roy's hands had found their way to the hem of her skirt. She pushed them away, still kissing him.

Riza moved her lips to the corner of his mouth, then down his jawline. With each kiss, she undid another button on his shirt until it was completely open, leaving his chest exposed to her wandering mouth. His skin seemed all the more sensitive for the months that had passed since they'd last had this kind of privacy; even the slightest pressure of her teeth over his collarbone elicited a moan from low in his throat. She brushed her lips down to latch onto his nipple the way he was so fond of doing with hers.

"Riza," he said breathily as his hands clasped around her back; his breath hitched in his throat, cutting the next iteration of her name short as her tongue traced from his nipple down to his stomach, down, down, down until—

Roy cried out again when she took him in her mouth, lips placed firmly just below his head while she licked it, savoring the throaty sounds he made, the way his fingers stiffened against her shoulder blades. Riza caressed the insides of his thighs with her thumbs, gently working up until her fingers curled to rest on his hips. Even through his pants, he was sensitive and he bucked up, carrying her with him, mouth still holding his cock. She moved up and down on it, so slowly he seemed unable to bear it any longer.

"Please," he begged, "Pleasepleasepleaseplease."

With one hand still against his hip, she moved the other to grip his shaft. Faster and faster she stroked him, though her tongue still moved slowly across his head until she felt him spasm, one last loud moan escaping his lips as he came. She pulled back with closed lips and he reached over the side of the bed for the trash can, held it up for her to spit into.

"Thanks," she said sheepishly. "I still can't—"

He pulled her down to kiss the taste out of her mouth, sweet and gentle with his tongue just barely touching hers. "It's fine," he said when she sat up again. "Now trade me places."

It was easier said than done on the narrow dorm bed, but they managed it with minimal contact between elbows and heads and the wall. When Riza had settled comfortably onto her pillow, Roy pressed his lips just above her knee, working his way up the inside of one thigh with feathery kisses and openmouthed down the other, his hands reaching up her skirt to remove her panties. She lifted her hips obligingly, locking eyes with him as he sat up sliding the black silk down her legs. Once he had tossed them in the general direction of her hamper, he scooted forward to kiss her, one hand between her thighs, mere inches away from where they met. Teasing her. His other hand twined with one of hers and he stroked the back of it with his thumb, gentle in contrast to his demanding lips.

Her free hand tangled in his hair, pulling him back from her lips. He opened his eyes, a question forming in them until he saw the longing in her own. A cocky grin formed on his lips as he licked them eagerly. Settling between her legs once more, he moved his hand out of the way. His forehead pushed the front of her tight skirt up as he planted first a chaste kiss, then a naughtier one on her opening, his tongue tracing its outline on the second. She clutched his hand and his hair tighter, pulled him closer to her as he hooked her left leg over his shoulder. She did the same with her right, locking her ankles below his neck.

With his nose, he spread her folds open, tongue flat and following close behind. Unlike Roy, she found it difficult to fully let herself go and the moans that built in her throat came out as soft whimpers and sighs instead. He responded with a sharp swipe of his tongue over her clit and a smirk she could feel against her skin. As sweet as she found his determination to make sure she felt good, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that it was more of a point of pride than a selfless act. He may have been clumsy and awkward at first but with her guidance and years of practice, he knew exactly what to do, whether to get her off quickly or to tease her until she melted into the bed. Tonight, he seemed to be angling for the latter.

He pulled back abruptly, leaving a pool of tension that spread all the way from her navel to her clit, which practically ached with the need for release. He went back to kissing the insides of her thighs and she wanted to scream her frustration, though she held it in out of habit. She tangled her fingers tighter in his hair and tugged him up towards the fork of her legs again. He resisted, nibbling at the skin on the thickest part of her thighs and using his hand instead, pushing first one, then another finger inside her, curling them up as he stroked her with their tips. His thumb parted her labia, moving in circles just below her clit and she bit her trembling lip.

His lips closed around a small patch of skin and suckled hard. At least he'd had the decency to leave the mark on her thigh this time. She didn't want to spend the next week wearing turtlenecks to bed and scarves everywhere else. "Enjoying yourself, Lieutenant?" he asked, pressing his fingers up hard.

"What are you talking about?" she said.

"Your costume. And strictly speaking, I outrank you."

"The captain of a pirate ship has no right to command a law-abiding—oh," she sighed as he returned his attention at last to her clit, sucking on it far more gently than he had on her thigh. He prodded his tongue against it in a quick staccato until her hips rose from the mattress and her nails dug into his scalp and his hand. Then he went back to licking slow and sweet in time with his fingers. For the moment, she was grateful he had decided to fuck her in costume; the skirt provided another barrier to keep her wetness from soaking through to the mattress. One last thrust of his fingers, one last lazy flick of his tongue sent her into a powerful orgasm that had her releasing her moans at last, her throat relaxing as the sound escaped her. He pressed one last kiss to her clit as her climax faded, and licked the fingers he had used to pleasure her.

One glance was enough to tell her he wasn't finished yet and she gave a contended hum when he scrambled off the bed to find her stash of condoms. He undid his pants again, shoulders relaxing as he freed his erection. Riza watched sleepily as he tore open the packet and rolled the condom down his length. She wished it were possible for them to fall asleep together after; she missed spooning with him.

Forcing herself up, she cleared room for Roy to lie down again, and she sat on his cock eagerly once she had slathered lube over it. One hand moved between them as she leaned forward, her mouth missing his and catching the corner of his lips instead when she went in to kiss him. He adjusted his head to take her bottom lip between his, tugging at it as he traced it with his tongue.

Roy withdrew his hand to wrap his arms around her. Slowly, carefully, he twisted them until Riza lay on the bed. He pressed his lips to her neck, careful not to leave a mark. His fingers found her clit again, and the firm pressure combined with the sensation of his mouth against her throat left her almost breathless. She wrapped her legs around his back to pull him closer, hips rising to meet his with every thrust.

When he came, he moved to lie beside her, back pressed against the wall. He feathered lazy kisses across her cheek and neck as his hand remained between her legs, thumb circling her clit. Riza felt her eyelids droop as a slow orgasm pulsed through her body, leaving her sleepy and oh so comfortable. She rolled so her back was against Roy's chest. After smoothing her skirt to preserve her modesty, Roy hugged Riza close. He whispered something that might have been an "I love you" but she was already half-asleep.

And then she felt something poke her spine. "What?" she mumbled, too tired to properly express her irritation.

"I said, don't go to sleep." Roy hooked his leg over hers and pulled her closer. "Riza?"

"Let me sleep."

"Rebecca will kill me." Roy's fingers played with the cheap plastic buttons on the front of her costume jacket. He popped the top one open, then the next and the next and the next until her entire body was exposed. He made no attempt to touch her breasts, however, so she supposed he was simply trying to make her more comfortable. It was easier to breathe with the jacket open, for one thing. "If you want to sleep," Roy said, "you should at least change out of this costume. I'll even find pajamas for you."

As much as she wanted him to stay, she knew he would have to leave before Rebecca came back anyway. She scooted forward to give him room to sit up, watched as he climbed over her and out of bed, depositing the used condom in the trash before he went to her closet. He found a pair of fuzzy pants and one of his old t-shirts and held them up for her approval. When Riza nodded, he brought them to her.

Riza sat up to swap the jacket for the shirt. "I'm not wearing underwear," she said.

"Would you like to be?" Roy went back to her closet when she nodded and opened the drawer of neatly folded panties. He tossed a pair at her and she tugged the skirt off, impressed at Roy's ability to hold her gaze while she was changing.

He came back to give her a hug and a quick peck on the lips. "Goodnight," he said, squeezing her to him. "See you tomorrow."

"'Night," Riza said. She settled onto her pillow again and pulled the covers up.

"I wish I could stay," he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"I wish you could too," she admitted with a yawn. "But it won't be like this forever."

"Two years sounds like forever," he said. His hand smoothed her hair back and his eyes looked sad. "It's going to be awfully hard living with a stranger next semester. I'd rather live with you. Hell, I'd rather live with you now. I am sick to death of hearing about Gracia and the wedding. If I talked about you half as much as he talked about her, I think you'd kill me."

Riza closed her eyes. "Goodnight, Roy," she said, hoping he would take the hint. He kissed her one last time and she heard him cross the room, the door opening and closing as he let himself out. Riza was asleep before she even had time to wonder if he had locked it.


	4. Chapter 4

Roy gave a groan of irritation into Riza's mouth as the alarm she had set interrupted their kiss. It was probably for the best that it had gone off when it did. His hands were starting to wander toward dangerous territory and she might have been tempted to ignore the xylophone noise her phone was making had they reached it. With one last, chaste peck to his cheek, Riza moved off of him to turn off the alarm and straighten her clothes and hair.

"Are you sure you don't want to study here? You could keep me company while Maes is out." That suggestive smirk might have tempted her to kiss it away on any other night but with two finals in the morning, she knew better than to give in. Oh, it might feel nice in the moment, but she would regret not giving her notes one last read through.

"You know I can't, Roy. And you should be studying too."

Sitting up, he placed his hands on her waist. "We could study together."

"I don't think that will do either of us any good. Just one more week, that's all. After that, we have the entire break to fool around and no roommates to worry about." She extracted herself from him and went to the door, phone in hand.

By the time she crossed the hall, she had received a photo from Roy of him in a seductive pose. "In case you change your mind," he had written underneath.

She laughed, hoping it was loud enough for him to hear, and then went into her own room. Slipping out of her jeans after a long day was a welcome relief, although a part of her wished it was in Roy's bed and not in front of the closet where she found a pair of comfy pajama pants to change into. She swapped her cardigan for one of Roy's hoodies, put her hair in a loose bun, and set to work. Removing two immaculately color-coded notebooks from the stack on the corner of her desk, she began thumbing through the one for her first class until the section she felt required the most revision.

The door slammed open after only three pages. "I'm going to kill him," Rebecca announced.

Riza looked up. It had to be either Roy or Jean and she doubted Roy could have angered Rebecca in so short a time. "What happened?"

"He's dating that girl from the bookstore. I saw them holding hands on the couch downstairs." She sank onto her bed to sulk.

"Why didn't you ask him out yourself?" Riza asked as she reached for a pink highlighter. She'd missed a section and there were probably more. Perhaps her notes weren't as immaculate as she'd suspected.

Rebecca gave an irritated grunt in response.

"Shouldn't you be studying too?" Riza asked. "Maybe that will get your mind off him."

"I didn't take many notes so I already read them," Rebecca said. She propped herself up on her elbows, resting her chin in her hands. "Come on, Riza, can't we go do something tonight? We both know you're going to ace all of your finals."

Comforting a friend was certainly a more worthy cause than giving into Roy's advances so Riza capped her highlighter and closed the notebook. "What do you have in mind?" she asked.

They were the only people on the bus: Riza still in her pajamas and carrying an oversized purse while she poured over a notebook and Rebecca who now looked more furious than dejected. She hadn't even given Riza time to change before deciding that going bowling would be good for both of them. She even had a voucher for a free shoe rental that she had used to convince Riza that it was a perfectly reasonable idea to go bowling at ten p.m. on a cold, December night before exams.

The bowling alley, however, was full of other college students who seemed just as intent on avoiding the inevitable week ahead of them as Rebecca was, although most of them looked to be freshmen and sophomores who weren't yet old enough to drink. Riza had to admit that this was certainly a healthier method of dealing with exam stress and was glad that both of their birthdays were several months away.

Once they had picked a lane and changed their shoes, Rebecca went straight to the snack bar, leaving Riza waiting to start their game. She checked the time on her phone and saw another Snapchat from Roy: a picture of one of his books with the caption, "ur a good influence after all."

She replied with a text since she didn't want to risk showing her obnoxiously colored bowling shoes showing up and changing his mind. "Good. I'll see you tomorrow."

Rebecca returned with an enormous plate of cheese fries just as Riza closed out of the half-dozen assorted kiss and heart emojis Roy had responded with.

"Look at all these freshmen," Rebecca said, slumping into the seat beside Riza and twirling cheese around a fry before placing it in her mouth. "We didn't even use guardrails in middle school."

"Be kind, Rebecca," Riza chided. She was up to bowl first and glad to be spared the temptation of cheese fries for at least a few more minutes. She had eaten a healthy dinner and there was no need to wreck it by sharing Rebecca's comfort food. The last thing she needed in the morning was an upset stomach.

She got a split, managing to knock down only one of the remaining pins on her second ball. It had been a while since she'd last gone bowling. Rebecca only managed to knock down three pins with each ball.

"Have some fries," she told Riza, nudging the plate toward her as she sat down after getting a spare. "I don't want to eat all of these by myself."

They were pretty good for cheap, bowling alley cheese fries, and before too long, Riza found herself mindlessly eating them while she waited for her turn. If they could help Rebecca get over her crush on Jean Havoc, they could settle her nerves about exams. So far, it wasn't doing much and she had a grease spot on her notes, but she wasn't about to give up.

Riza ended the game with a turkey and Rebecca jumped up to congratulate her as a notice that they had received a free game scrolled across the bottom of the screen. This time, they played without the cheese fries.

"I'm onto your secret," Rebecca teased as Riza bowled her second gutter ball in a row. "Junk food gives you too much power. That's why Roy always eats it before you can."

Riza shrugged and turned another page in her notebook. "He just likes it more than I do."

This time, Rebecca won, and she was absolutely certain that Riza's skills were directly correlated with the amount of cheese fries consumed per turn.

"It's after midnight," Riza said, checking her phone. "Shouldn't we head back?"

"But I'm hungry again," Rebecca said. "Let's get something to eat next door before we head back."

The bowling alley shared its parking lot with a diner, and since Riza wasn't looking forward to waiting for the bus in the cold, she agreed to continue their night of impulse decisions. At least she had her notes. As they walked across the nearly-empty lot, Riza watched the N on the sign flicker ominously. The R had already gone out.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Riza asked, transfixed as she watched "DINE" become "DIE" for a moment before returning to normal.

Rebecca laughed and took her by the arm. "Come on, Riza. It's not like you of all people to be superstitious."

"There's a very thick line between superstitious and suspicious of diners that can't be bothered to fix their lighting problems." Even so, she followed Rebecca inside. At least the heat worked better than the sign, and Riza took off her coat as they settled into a booth.

"Look, Riza, all-you-can-eat pancakes are only three dollars after midnight." Rebecca gestured to the specialty section of the menu.

Riza wrinkled her nose. "Why would anyone want to eat that much so late at night?"

"Nothing better to do?" Rebecca suggested. She turned the menu over. "Or you could get all-you-can-eat mozzarella sticks."

"After the fries, that sounds even worse." It was too late for coffee or even tea that wasn't chamomile so she ordered only a hot cocoa when the waitress came back. Rebecca ordered the pancakes and orange juice.

While Rebecca dug into her first stack of pancakes, Riza turned back to her notes, a growing sense of dread as she realized she didn't even remember these two pages at all. They were done entirely in pen with no extra marks or highlighting. She withdrew the set of markers from her purse and set to work analyzing these overlooked sections while Rebecca was too concerned with eating to talk.

A text came through from Roy, far more serious than any of his Snapchats. "You still up?"

"Yes."

"Maes still isn't back. If you're done studying, come spend the night with me."

"I'll consider it."

Riza looked up at Rebecca and took a sip of her drink. It was on the watery side but it was warm and sweet and comforting and at this point, she wasn't feeling particularly picky anyway.

"What should I do?" Rebecca asked, stirring up the pulp in her orange juice with the straw.

"About Jean?" When Rebecca nodded, Riza continued, "Just wait. She'll probably break up with him before we all have to go home for the break."

"You think so?"

Riza gave her a gentle smile. "You seem to be the only person who can maintain a romantic interest in him for longer than a week of knowing him."

It was two by the time Rebecca had eaten her fill. They paid the bill and left a generous tip for putting up with two college students in the middle of the night. With her notes safely in her purse again, Riza reached for her phone to check the bus schedule.

"Shit," she muttered. "We just missed the last bus."

"Can't you just call Roy to give us a ride?" Rebecca asked, looking surprisingly unconcerned about asking a man for help, especially Roy Mustang. The beginnings of dark circles were forming under her eyes; she only wanted to get home quickly and by whatever means possible.

Riza ran her thumb nervously across the darkened screen of her phone. "About that," she said awkwardly, "Roy thinks I'm in my room studying. I turned down his offer to—ahem—study with him."

"I see." Rebecca looked rather pleased that Riza had chosen to spend the night on the town with her instead of getting laid, and considering the circumstances that had led them here, Riza couldn't blame her. "I can call him then."

"No, no, it has to be me. Otherwise it'll look like I'm lying to him." She put in the passcode and called Roy.

"Hello?" he asked sleepily. "I thought you were just going to come in. I left the door open."

Riza shifted uncomfortably. "Actually, I need to ask a favor of you."

"Why do I get the feeling this isn't the kind of favor I like?"

"I need you to pick me up. I'm with Rebecca at the bowling alley." She said the words quickly, hoping that the shock would shield her from teasing about her surprising lack of discretion.

"What? Did you two get into a fight?"

"No, you need to pick her up too. We missed the last bus." Oh god this was the most embarrassed she'd felt since Halloween, and at least then, she'd known Roy wasn't going to tease her. After this, though, she had a feeling that she was in for the teasing of a lifetime.

"I'll be there right away," he said, sounding so serious that Riza could tell he was holding back laughter.

Riza hung up and looked over at Rebecca, who was holding a hand over her mouth to stifle laughter of her own. "You don't have to hide it," she said, regretting it instantly. Loopy as she was from lack of sleep, Rebecca seemed to find this situation several times more hilarious than it actually was and she ended up leaning against Riza for the longest and coldest twenty minutes she had spent in recent years.

Roy pulled up right in front of them, not bothering to park the car properly and leaving the keys in the ignition when he got out. "Well here's a sight I never thought I'd see." He walked straight past Riza to clap Rebecca on the shoulder. "I'd like to commend you."

"Excuse me?" Rebecca looked disgruntled by his reaction.

"I've gotten Riza to do some pretty wild things in my time, but getting her to stay out past two the night before a test? Never." He pulled Riza into his arms next, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I was wrong about you. You're a terrible example and I'm so proud to be your boyfriend." He kissed her again, this time on the lips.

They all got into the car and Roy turned the heat all the way up so Riza could warm her hands over the vents. An uncomfortable silence fell between them until Rebecca piped up, "It was my fault."

"What?" Roy asked, turning around to look at her until Riza reached over nervously.

"I had a bad day so I dragged Riza out here to make me feel better."

"I don't care that she left, I'm just upset that neither of you thought to invite me," Roy said. "A night of wild abandon with Riza Hawkeye and I missed it."

"Oh, shut up," Rebecca said, leaning forward over the center console. "If I believe even half the things you say, it sounds like you've already had more than your share of those."

Riza felt her face get hot and hoped she wasn't blushing anywhere the cold hadn't already reddened her skin. "Enough, you two," she said, but she was smiling all the same. They were almost back to campus and she could already feel a clean pair of pajamas and the warmth of her own bed. Tempting though Roy's offer to spend the night was, they would be home soon enough, and the last thing Rebecca needed tonight was for Riza to abandon her at the last minute to spend the night in a cramped bed with Roy.

When they got back to the rooms, she thanked him for the ride with a hearty kiss and disappeared into her own room arm in arm with a grinning Rebecca. "Let's do this again," she said. "But without needing to be rescued next time."

Riza wasn't entirely sure about the first part, but she agreed wholeheartedly with the second.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably going to be strange in July since it was originally posted in December, but it is smutty, so I hope that makes it less strange.

The scent of gingerbread filled the kitchen as Riza attempted to remove pine needles from her sweater. It probably wasn't worth the effort since the thing was hideous enough on its own and anyone looking at her would likely be too distracted by the bells to notice that she'd just helped tie a Christmas tree on top of Roy's car. While he was in the attic searching for the box of lights and ornaments, she contemplated snipping the bells off the sweater. The reindeer, she could deal with, but when Roy had teasingly told her that he'd picked this one out special for her so he'd always know where she was, she had simply rolled her eyes. She was sick of jingling every time she moved.

"I hear sleigh bells," Roy said in a sing-song voice as he stepped into the kitchen doorway. "I hope I'm on your nice list this year, because I have some very naughty plans for the two of us later tonight."

Riza rolled her eyes. "Have you already been at the eggnog?"

"Of course not. I still have to drive us and the tree to the bar, don't I? The only thing I'm drunk on is the thought of how much more beautiful you'll be once I've gotten that ugly thing off you."

Riza shook her head, holding back a smile. "Aren't you going to help me finish baking these cookies?"

"Not until you kiss me. I've been standing under mistletoe this whole time and you haven't done anything about it." He gave her a fake pout and she glanced up at the doorframe to make sure she hadn't lost her mind.

She hadn't. "That's holly, Roy, so if you want a kiss, you'll have to come over here."

"Damn, I knew something looked off." Hands in his pockets, he crossed the kitchen to give Riza a peck on the lips. Apparently deciding that wasn't enough, he moved his hands to her waist to help her onto the counter where he kissed her with even more enthusiasm. "I hate this," he said when she broke the kiss.

"What? Kissing?" Riza asked, cocking her head in confusion.

"No, of course not." He gave her stomach a gentle poke. "I hate being stuck here in the cold with the two of us in these stupid sweaters when we should be somewhere warm and sunny and you should be wearing the skimpiest bikini I can tempt you into. And I just realized those bells are right over your nipples."

"Took you long enough to figure that one out," she said, carefully avoiding the topic of honeymoons. They would have their own soon enough and it did no good to let Roy sulk about waiting.

"Can I jingle your bells?" he asked.

"Not until tonight." Riza pushed him away and slipped off the counter to check the cookies, though the timer still showed another five minutes.

Roy wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I can't wait for this damn party to be over. We're not even invited to the good one." He pressed his lips to her neck just above the itchy wool of her sweater.

With Roy still apparently deciding whether or not to risk giving her a hickey, Jean and Heymans burst into the kitchen with Rebecca and Kain trailing behind them. Riza jerked away instinctively. "You're here early," she said.

"I can tell. Roy looks like he thought you had a good half hour left," Jean said.

Roy stood up straight, clearing his throat. "I didn't realize it was such a scandal to be affectionate with my girlfriend, but I guess getting dumped makes things—"

"That's enough, Roy," Riza said. She placed a hand on his arm.

The timer went off, providing a welcome distraction from both Roy's advances and the argument that was brewing. Riza took the gingerbread men from the oven and left them to cool while she placed another batch in the oven.

"You'll watch these while we help Christmas with her decorations, won't you?" Riza asked.

"We will," Jean and Rebecca said much too quickly.

"And no anatomically correct gingerbread people this year, please," Riza added. This time, the only response was a grumble, but she had her fingers crossed that her cookies would still be safe for work when she returned.

Roy reached for Riza's hand as they left the kitchen and she laced her fingers through his. Ridiculous sweaters and inappropriately timed foreplay aside, tonight felt wonderfully like the magical Christmases she remembered from before her mother's death. Just like every year since she had first become friends with Roy, there were as many presents under the tree with her name as his, and with each year that had passed since her father's death, she felt more a part of the Mustang family than ever.

Outside the house, Roy opened her door before going around to his own. The drive to Madame Christmas's bar was long, delayed by Christmas Eve traffic, and tiny snowflakes had just begun to fall as Roy pulled into the alley behind the bar. The Madame always insisted on a fresh tree for Christmas, even though the entire month of December was already spent playing up her name to attract customers.

"I don't know what I'd do without the two of you," the Madame said as Roy and Riza hauled the tree in through the back. Once it was set in place of the old one, she gave each of them a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It took no time at all for them to decorate the new tree with the special decorations, and Roy and Riza were safely on their way with the old tree and its decorations by the time the sun had gone down.

Back at home and grateful to be far away from the rush that would soon be flooding the bar, Riza led Roy inside. Their guests had already gathered in the living room, each holding a cookie and a glass of eggnog, apart from Fuery, who was sipping hot cocoa. Riza accepted a mug of the same, though Roy opted for the eggnog as they settled into the circle.

Roy put his free arm around her and she snuggled into him. The fire was at their backs and Riza felt her eyelids droop as the warmth made her sleepy. She didn't even realize she was daydreaming about settling into bed with Roy until he pressed a gift into her hands.

"Is this for me?" she asked, fighting back a yawn.

Roy shook his head. "From you. It's time to exchange gifts and you looked kind of zoned out so I got yours for you."

"Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night."

"I noticed," Roy said. "You kicked me a lot."

Rebecca cleared her throat. "I'm sorry to interrupt this fascinating look into your personal lives with Christmas, but I'm going to start. Here you go, Roy." She held out a small, neatly wrapped box.

He tore open the paper and looked from the box of condoms to Rebecca and back again. "Thanks?"

Rebecca shrugged. "I don't want you knocking up my best friend." She turned to Riza, who fought to keep her face straight and its usual color. "And at least one of us is getting laid tonight."

"Who's spreading too much information now?" Jean muttered. "This is for you, by the way."

Rebecca unwrapped a hastily wrapped lotion and body wash set. "Thank you, Jean," she said. As soon as Jean's attention turned to Heymans, who was holding out his gift, Rebecca turned to give Riza a thumbs up. Riza returned the gesture, although she wasn't nearly as hopeful as her friend that the gift had a romantic undertone.

After Kain had given Heymans his present, Riza passed her own gift to him.

"Wow, Riza, these are great!" Kain said, putting the puppy slippers on immediately.

"I only wish I could have gotten you a real one," Riza said.

"It'll have to wait until I'm out of the dorms."

Riza was about to respond when Roy set his gift in her lap, apparently having rigged the name drawing for the eighth year running. She wouldn't have minded so much if he didn't already do his best to spoil her rotten. Shaking her head, she undid the wrapping and opened the box and looked quickly inside to see a sheer silk nightgown. "Thanks, Roy." She kissed his cheek.

"Let's see it, Riza," Rebecca said. "Hold it up."

"I'd rather not, if that's alright," Riza said.

"It's for my eyes only, at least when she's wearing it," Roy added as she closed the box and set it aside for later. She'd heard of pajamas as a Christmas Eve tradition but this was something else entirely and she fully intended to wear it once everyone else had gone.

"More eggnog, anyone?" Heymans said. His own glass was empty and he, Roy, and Jean went to the kitchen for more.

Rebecca moved across the circle to sit next to Riza. "It looks like you're in for a fun night."

"Shouldn't you be cornering Jean under the mistletoe?" Riza said, folding her arms protectively over the box that held Roy's gift.

Making a face, Rebecca went to claim her favorite spot on the couch and stole Riza's usual blanket from under the coffee table on the way. "If you want it back, you can apologize for talking about my crush in front of Kain."

"What crush?" Kain said nervously.

"Who's got a crush?" Roy chimed in as he returned with eggnog and cocoa. He sat in Christmas's chair and motioned for Riza to join him. She took his blanket from under the table without breaking eye contact with Rebecca until she settled into Roy's lap.

Jean and Heymans sat on either side of Rebecca while Kain curled up in the other armchair; Roy pressed play on the remote and the movie started. Riza nearly spilled her cocoa as his hands caressed her thighs. It seemed he had lost all interest in his eggnog now that the two of them were safely wrapped in a blanket. Impossible as Riza found it to concentrate on the movie with Roy's hands wandering everywhere she deemed acceptable in present company, she was amazed at how well he managed.

"I'd get you the moon if you wanted it. And all the stars too," Roy whispered in her ear, hands coming to rest on her exposed stomach, just below the top of the blanket.

"I already have everything I need," she whispered back. Placing her hands on his, Riza leaned her head back against his shoulder and closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, the movie was over and her cocoa was cold. Roy's hands hadn't moved but he was nuzzling her hair. "Wake up, it's time to say goodbye to our guests."

"I'm awake," she said. Extracting herself from his arms, she pulled her shirt and sweater down and got up to stretch. She hugged each of her friends goodbye and wished them a merry Christmas as they left.

Finally, she and Roy were alone.

"Go on upstairs," she said. "I'll meet you in bed."

"I can't think of any words I'd rather hear," he said cheerfully.

Riza took care of the dishes and cut the tags off her new nightgown in the kitchen before heading up after Roy. She changed in the bathroom, enjoying the whisper of the sheer red silk over her skin. Feeling considerably more awake after her unintentional nap, Riza made her way down the hall to Roy's bedroom, swaying her hips as she went inside.

"Is that mistletoe?" she asked hesitantly. Roy was sitting up on the bed with a sprig of what looked to be the correct plant tied around his erection.

"I finally found some," he said. "I'm glad I did, too. You look beautiful tonight."

"You don't need mistletoe to get a kiss from me," she said, climbing into bed beside him. She pressed her lips to his first then moved them down across his body until she had to untie the mistletoe to finish kissing him.

When she had followed the tradition, she looked up at Roy through her eyelashes and he pulled her up for another proper kiss, hands moving between them to play with her nipples. They were already visible and quite hard thanks to the thin fabric and the cold air, but Roy never could resist playing with her breasts when the opportunity arose.

His tongue darted between her lips and brushed gently against her own as he moaned into her mouth. Slowly, they sank onto the bed so that he lay with his head on a pillow and she lay on top of him. One hand still groped at her breast but the other moved between her legs, spreading her wetness up toward her clit.

He broke away from the kiss, out of breath. "I hope this is almost as good as the moon."

"Better," she said. "The moon needs to stay where it is, and so do you. Yes, yes, right there. Perfect." She kissed him again, this time on the throat, where she could feel his rapid pulse beneath her lips. She felt his moan, too, before she heard it, the sound only serving to heighten her arousal. Directed by habit, she found a condom and a bottle of lube without looking. "All the way tonight?" she asked.

"Of course. I'll finish you first."

"No," she said.

His hand stopped immediately. "Oral then?"

"No, I want to finish with you inside me." She opened the condom and rolled it on when he nodded his permission. "Ready?"

He nodded again and she slathered lube over his cock, guiding it inside her as he resumed his ministrations. She could feel the tension building inside her and she kissed him again, mouth crashing down on his in a messy, desperate kiss. A vague part of her mind remembered that she hadn't even taken her nightgown off but she didn't care, she was so close, and with every motion of their hips as she bounced on him, she could tell he was too. He continued fondling her with rapid circles of his thumb over her clit until she called his name and an orgasm swept over her, sending him over the edge as well. She felt that familiar upward thrust of his hips as he instinctively finished as deep inside of her as he could.

Still breathing hard, she moved off of him and slipped under the covers, too tired to do anything else. Roy threw the used condom in the trash and settled into bed as well, cuddling Riza close to his chest as she closed her eyes. With both of them under the blankets and already warm from sex, she felt blissfully cozy and suddenly exhausted.

"Goodnight, Roy," she said into his neck.

"Goodnight, Riza. Merry Christmas." The light went off and she felt Roy's arm around her again, drawing her closer.

"Merry Christmas," she echoed. He was stroking her hair now, and before she had the chance to give him one last kiss, she was fast asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More smut and Falman finally gets a cameo! (I had originally intended to have him be Fuery's roommate, but since he's older than the rest of the team, it didn't quite fit.)

Roy blinked at the numbers on his alarm clock. Six-thirty a.m. was even more awful than he would have imagined. He turned off the alarm, rubbed his eyes, and sat up. Crossing his fingers that Riza was really out for a jog in spite of the forecast for snow, he slipped out of bed and retrieved the cassette tape from inside one of his socks. For once, he was glad that Maes had moved out. The last thing he needed was to spoil the surprise by waking somebody. He left the door open and crossed the hall, kneeling to shove the cassette through the gap beneath Riza's door.

He had it halfway when his door swung shut. "Fuck," he muttered under his breath, giving the cassette one last shove. Of course he hadn't bothered to bring a key.

Acting as casual as he could, he made his way downstairs. Thankfully, Falman was already up and behind the desk when Roy approached.

"Locked myself out," he said even though Falman was already reaching for the master key.

Just then, the door swung open, carrying a flurry of snow and icy wind, and Riza, looking chilled to the bone and very pleased with herself. Until she saw Roy, of course. "What are you doing up so early?"

"Nature calls," Roy said. "Forgot my key."

Riza shook her head. "You really should be more careful."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said, looking sheepishly from her to Falman, who was waiting by the elevator. He started to walk in that direction and Riza followed. "Shouldn't you get some coffee to warm yourself up? You look like you stepped in from the Arctic."

"I want to change into something dry first." She caught up with him and took his hands in hers. It was like being held by a lamp post and Roy jerked away instinctively. Feeling bad, he took them one at a time between both of his hands and rubbed warmth back into them while they rode up.

Roy tried not to look over his shoulder as Falman unlocked his door, but he heard Riza's open and close and he wondered if she would notice the cassette or not. He thanked Falman and went immediately back to bed but thoughts of Riza's face red with cold kept him from falling back to sleep.

Riza wouldn't have even noticed she had kicked something if she hadn't heard the sound. Her toes were even colder than she realized. She knelt to unlace and remove her shoes and to retrieve the small plastic case she had sent skittering toward Rebecca's bed. "Riza—I love you," she read, smiling to herself. Now where in the hell was she supposed to find a cassette player?

"Can you love yourself more quietly?" Rebecca said, voice muffled by sleep and her pillow.

"Sorry, I'll be gone in a minute." Riza stripped off her running clothes and put on her bathrobe, leaving the cassette on her bed to sort out later. It seemed Roy had been up for an entirely different reason.

After her shower, Riza dressed in a simple outfit and went downstairs to make coffee, which she drank curled up in an armchair beside a window, watching snow drift down from a lightening sky. She wished Roy had stayed up for this; she couldn't think of a better way to spend Valentine's morning than cuddled up with him and a nice cup of coffee. Then again, she had plenty of things to arrange that she didn't want him finding out about just yet and a cassette player to find. She decided to try the library after breakfast.

Roy didn't remember falling asleep, but he must have if it was already eleven. Swearing under his breath, he scrambled out of bed and changed quickly, hoping Riza wouldn't be angry with him for avoiding her on today of all days. He stepped into his shoes, ran his fingers through his hair, pocketed a key, and checked his phone. No new messages. He unlocked it to call Riza, but she never picked up. Hurt, he decided to get something to eat at the cafeteria alone.

In hindsight, that was a terrible idea. As soon as he arrived, he noticed table after table filled with couples who were laughing and holding hands and he felt even worse at having been left alone on Valentine's Day. It was as though Riza had forgotten entirely; she hadn't even kissed him good morning. He wouldn't put it past her after last year, when she really had forgotten.

He wondered if she was ignoring him because he had lied to her, but decided that was petty and very un-Riza-like. She had to have some other reason for not answering her phone, for not even sending him so much as a single heart emoji. If it was studying, she was bound to be in the library, so he gulped down his lunch and headed there next.

She was talking to the librarian, hair pulled back in a messy bun. A few flyaway strands caught in her mouth as she spoke and she brushed them away. Roy smiled at the sight of her and tiptoed across the room to stand beside her. "Good morning," he said cheerfully.

"Morning, Roy," she said, tilting her head to allow him to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Sleep well?"

"Too much," he said. "I've already missed half the day."

Riza cocked her head. "I don't remember that bothering you before. Was there something special you had planned?"

"Well, today's—never mind," he said. "I can tell you're busy. Sorry."

Riza watched him leave, feeling guilty at the way his head hung once he thought she wasn't watching anymore. She wanted to go to him, but she still hadn't listened to his tape, and she didn't want to admit to that after he'd clearly gone to such lengths to make it. The library's tape players had all been rented out, and she was left with only one place left to check.

The walk across campus was a lonely one, and she was glad it had stopped snowing without Roy there to share his warmth with her. She seemed to feel the cold so much more than he did. Back inside the dorm, she went straight to Kain's room and knocked. He answered right away.

"Riza? What do you need? I thought you'd be with Roy," he said.

She held a finger to her lips. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," he said, looking concerned. Once the door was closed, he sat down on the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Roy gave me this," she said, holding up the cassette tape.

Kain's eyes widened. "He didn't break up with you over a tape, did he?"

"No, of course not. Why would you think that?" Riza asked, irritated. She pointed to the words written on the case.

"Sorry, it's just, you looked unhappy, and why else wouldn't you be with him on Valentine's Day?" Kain asked.

Riza rattled the cassette tape. "He made this for me and I haven't even listened to it yet. I'd feel terrible, and I'm trying to keep him from finding out about the plans I made for tonight." Thumbing the case absentmindedly, she added, "I came to ask you if you have something that can play it."

"Of course, just a moment." Kain scrambled off the bed and dove under it, rummaging through boxes until he found what he was looking for. He surfaced several minutes later with a bright yellow Walkman. "Here you go."

"Thanks, I owe you," Riza said, slipping the tape from the box and into the Walkman. "I'll bring it back when I'm finished."

Roy bought two dozen roses at the first florist shop he found that still had some left. He'd spent so long on the mix tape, he'd forgotten flowers. At least Maes wasn't in his room anymore to tease him about how he'd flubbed today while proving himself the perfect husband to Gracia, who was surely looking forward to a romantic night worthy of the movies. Roy sighed. What did Riza have to look forward to? A cassette of love songs with a fire motif and twenty-four roses of assorted colors (there hadn't been enough red left to make a whole dozen). He'd forgotten to make reservations for dinner until after all Riza's favorite restaurants had filled up for the night. Maybe he could push the two dorm room beds together before he invited her to spend the night. It wasn't like anyone was using the second one.

When he showed up at Riza's door holding the bouquet, Rebecca answered. "Where's Riza?" he asked.

"Kain's room," Rebecca said with a sour expression on her face. It looked like she would be spending Valentine's alone again. Roy was about to tell her that Jean hadn't been able to get a date either when she shut the door in his face.

Then, Riza appeared at the end of the hall. He heard her thank Kain and turned to see her walking down the hall. Her hair was still up but neatly coiffed now and she wore a sleek blue dress cut just above the knee. Her expression softened when she noticed him standing outside her door, warm brown eyes proving that she hadn't forgotten what day it was after all.

"Thank you," she said before he had even handed her the flowers. "It took me most of the day to play that tape you left me, but I just finished listening to it."

Of course. That explained the library and Riza's evasiveness. She hadn't wanted to admit she hadn't listened to the tape yet, or remind him that he'd been so careless as to forget she didn't own anything to listen to it with. "I got these for you as well."

She took the bouquet and held it to her chest. "They're beautiful."

"You don't have a vase either. Dammit, you've told me that before," Roy said.

"I bought one just in case," she said. Standing on her toes, she kissed him. "I have a surprise for you, too."

"What is it?"

"I'm not just going to spoil it like that. Go get changed and I'll take you there," she said.

After changing into his best suit, Roy met up with Riza in front of his car. She stepped into his arms, placing her own around his neck, careful to avoid hitting him with the oversized purse she had slung over one shoulder. "Happy Valentine's Day," she said.

"Happy Valentine's Day." Roy gave her a quick kiss and reached into his pocket for the keys, which he held out for Riza.

She took them, unlocked the car, and went around the passenger side to open Roy's door for him. Grinning, he shook his head at her, while she smiled in response. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gone out of his way to open her door, since it wasn't the kind of thing Riza was comfortable with. He had a feeling this was meant as a joke and an apology for her lack of romantic gestures earlier in the day.

When she settled into the driver's seat, he rested a hand on her thigh. "I love you, Riza."

"I love you, too. I'm sorry I didn't spend time with you earlier."

He wanted to kiss her and wondered if she would consent to anything longer than a peck before they got home. Maybe if he asked before they were out of the car. They had been apart nearly all day and he couldn't wait to lavish her with affection. After all, she had planned something nice for them and all he had done was give her a mix tape with the intention of pushing beds together in his room later and lighting a few candles. He hoped that, once he had the means, he'd be better at surprising her with sweeping romantic gestures. Speaking of which, it seemed that Riza had taken the opportunity to surprise him with one of her own. She turned the car into a hotel parking lot. It certainly wasn't the nicest hotel in town, which he knew she wouldn't have been able to afford, but it was certainly nicer than the chain hotels.

"I'm sorry about last year," she said once she had parked.

Roy reached out to take her hand. "You didn't have to do this, but thank you. It's been too long since we've slept in a real bed."

"It's barely been a month," she said, but she looked pleased. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you to pack an overnight bag but I didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"I guess it's only for one night, and we'll be going right back to campus in the morning," he said, though a part of him blanched at the thought of having to put on dirty clothes in the morning.

As though reading his mind, Riza said, "You've left enough of your things in my room that I have a change of underwear and a shirt for you in my bag." She pulled her hand away so they could get out of the car.

Roy didn't wait for her to open his door this time, and he put his arm around her shoulders as they walked into the hotel. The sharp sound of Riza's heels across the tile drew the gaze of the concierge, who looked resigned to the long night ahead of her.

"I have a reservation for Hawkeye," Riza said, removing her wallet from a pocket on the outside of her oversized purse. She handed her ID across the counter and received a room key back with it.

"Enjoy your stay, Miss Hawkeye."

"Thank you." Riza tucked her ID in her wallet and put it away. Still holding the room key, she led the way to the elevators. Roy's stomach growled loud enough that she seemed to hear it. She stopped, turning to look at him with an expression of horror on her face. "I forgot dinner. I'm so sorry, Roy, do you think we could find a table somewhere on such short notice?"

Roy shrugged and pressed the call button. "The room was more than enough. I'll call and have a pizza delivered once we get there. I'd rather just be with you than worry about finding somewhere to eat." He kissed the top of her head. An elevator opened and they stepped inside. Riza pushed the button for the fifth floor, then stepped back to take Roy's hand.

He hoped Riza hadn't paid too much for the room. It wasn't the kind of surprise he would have expected to get from her until after they had finished school and were settled into their careers. The bathroom held an oversized Jacuzzi bath and the bed was king-sized. Riza even looked surprised by the room; her eyes were wide as she set her purse down by the TV and sat on the edge of the bed to remove her shoes. When they were off, Roy held out his hands to pull her to her feet.

Standing on her toes, she kissed him eagerly, missing his mouth in her enthusiasm and catching only the corner of it, tugging her hands away from his to tangle them in his hair. Roy wrapped his arms around her back, holding her close as he let her lead the kiss. She worked her way to the center of his mouth, sucking on his bottom lip. Her eyes were half closed and she looked up at him with a sultry gaze that made him seriously consider skipping the pizza so long as he could get her into bed immediately. When her mouth opened, he traced her lips with his tongue, letting the moan that had been building in his throat follow. His hands traveled down to her hips, pulling them closer to his own.

Riza pulled away from the kiss to rub her nose against his before sinking flat onto her feet. "Shouldn't you order dinner first?"

"Right. Dinner first. And I think we should have a bath after that." Roy kissed the tip of her nose and reached into his pocket for his phone.

While he ordered, Riza played with his free hand, tracing the lines on his palm and lifting it to kiss each of his fingertips in turn. He hung up as soon as he was finished and pulled her into a one-armed embrace. Releasing his hand, Riza snuggled against him, resting her head in the crook of his neck. It was nice to hold her like this, when she so rarely let herself be vulnerable at school. Even in his dorm, she was never this at ease, always worrying about getting into trouble for being alone with him behind a closed door.

"I wish we could spend every night like this," he said, stroking her hair.

"That would add up quickly," Riza said.

Roy could feel her smile against his neck and he laughed. "Not at a hotel, just somewhere private."

"As much as I'd love to get a place of our own, it isn't practical yet."

"I know," he said, trying not to think of Maes and Gracia, who, as far as he knew, were doing just fine.

Wrapping her arms around him, Riza untucked his shirt, slipping her hands underneath it to caress his back. He closed his eyes, buried his face in her hair, and smiled. This was the perfect end to the day. Careful not to tread on Riza's bare feet, Roy stepped out of his shoes and kicked them aside. They held each other for another long moment before Riza lifted her head. She stepped out of Roy's arms and went to the window, one hand out behind her for him to catch hold of.

They stood hand in hand at the window, and when the delivery truck pulled into the parking lot, Roy grinned. "There's the second-most-beautiful sight I've seen today." He watched Riza's reflection in the window as she rolled her eyes, but he could tell she was holding back a smile, too.

"I can pay for the pizza," she said, turning away, letting her fingers fall from Roy's.

"You already paid for the hotel. Dinner's on me," Roy said.

"I guess that's fair." She put her wallet back in her purse. "I'll find cups."

The delivery person knocked while Riza was pulling plastic wrappers from the cups in the bathroom. Roy opened the door, paid, and carried the pizza and soda to the table. "Hey, Riza, come check this out," he said when he opened the box.

"Did they put extra pineapple?" Riza asked. She appeared at his side holding two cups and regarded the heart-shaped pizza with amusement. "Oh, so that's what you meant. I didn't know they did that."

"Me either. You want to start with the round end or the pointy one?"

"Doesn't matter. It looks like we'll have to use napkins since I didn't see any plates." She sat in the chair that Roy pulled out for her and took a slice, holding it over a napkin. "I hope you realize this hotel is just a front for us to have peace and quiet to study for that test on Tuesday," she said once Roy had taken the seat across from hers.

"You mean it's not so we can have sex without Jean pounding on the wall and telling us to be quiet?" Roy asked, taking a bite of pizza. "Seriously, Riza, your poker face is impeccable, but you should at least have picked a hotel without a Ja—"

Without taking her eyes off Roy, she reached into her bag and pulled out a thick notebook with several loose-leaf pages sticking out.

"Holy shit, you weren't joking. _Riza_!" he said, watching in horror as she procured a stack of handmade flashcards. "Or does this mean you're turning studying into some kind of sex game? Please tell me it's a sex game."

She slid the cards across the table wordlessly and Roy breathed a sigh of relief when he realized they were actually love notes. On each one, she had written something sweet he had done for her in the past year, or just a thought she'd had about why she loved him.

"Did you have to scare me like that?" he asked.

"Just to get you in the spirit of things. The notebook isn't what you think, either. I just wanted to get you on your toes." She pulled out a stack of loose pages and passed it to him. "Think we can manage?"

Roy looked over what appeared to be a copy from a book of sex positions. "No wonder you looked so startled to see me in the library this morning. You didn't want to give the game away on this or the cassette player."

Riza laughed. "You think I would have copied those off in the library? No, I did it at home over the break," she said. "I didn't want to bring the entire book, so I picked a few I thought looked interesting."

"I hope you brought a lot of condoms with you. I only have a couple on me."

"I brought a whole box," she said.

They finished half the pizza and Roy cleaned up while Riza went to draw a bath for them. He wrapped the leftover pizza in one of the extra plastic liners for the ice bucket and put it in the fridge with the rest of the Coke. The cups he left out in case they wanted more later.

Riza was perched on the edge of the tub when he went into the bathroom. Though she was still fully dressed, she had let her hair down. She stood when she saw Roy, stepping forward and into his arms, placing her hands on his face to pull him down for a kiss while he unzipped her dress. His hands faltered as she sucked on his bottom lip again, a sultry look back in her eyes.

She caressed his cheeks with her thumbs as she deepened the kiss, her mouth moving against his slowly, sweetly. As their tongues brushed past each other, her hands slipped down to loosen his tie. He could taste her desire as she slipped it from around his neck and down to his waist to draw him closer. Desire and pizza. Because it was Riza, he didn't mind so much about the last part, but also because it was her, he suddenly felt the need to brush his teeth. She deserved him at his freshest. He pulled away from the kiss, leaving her looking confused.

"My breath's terrible," he said, trying to free himself from the tie.

"It's the same as mine. We forgot to get you a toothbrush anyway." Noting the expression on his face, she shrugged. "If it matters that much, there's some gum in my purse. I'll take a piece, too."

When Roy returned, they sat on the edge of the tub chewing gum while Roy unbuttoned his shirt. Riza had slipped out of her dress while he was gone, leaving her in a lingerie set he was very fond of: pale blue corset and panties with white stockings and garter belt. One of his hands rested between them and she put her hand on it.

"You're beautiful," he said.

"You don't look too bad yourself. You could stand to lose that shirt, though. There's a bit of tomato sauce on it."

Roy pulled his hand away to do as she asked. He stood as well to remove his pants and socks, then sat again, this time placing his hand over hers. "I'm ready to get in if you are."

She nodded and he reached over to undo her garters, moving to kneel in front of her so he could roll her stockings down, kissing the insides of her legs all the way down to her ankles as he undressed her. He tossed them out the bathroom door and stood to remove her corset. As he unzipped it, she tugged his boxers down, then stood so he could remove her panties. While he moved her underthings out to where her stockings and dress were, she stepped into the tub and turned the jets on. Roy hurried to join her, causing Riza to sit up and reach out a hand.

"Don't slip," she said, eyes wide with concern.

He kept his balance and climbed into the bath, settling into the water beside Riza, who cuddled against his side, resting her chin on his shoulder. She kissed the exposed skin in front of her mouth, leaving her lips around it while Roy wrapped an arm around her to pull her even closer. "I couldn't have asked for a better end to today than this. Thank you." He kissed the top of her head.

"You're welcome. It was hard keeping it a secret from you, especially when you looked so sad earlier. As though you were so sure I'd forgotten Valentine's again." She nuzzled his shoulder affectionately then looked up at him with warmth in her eyes that made his heart beat faster. How many years had it been and she still looked at him the way she did when they had first fallen in love? He put his other arm around her too and hugged her tight, shifting to meet her as she moved into his lap.

Reaching for a washcloth, she wrapped her legs around his waist. "Is the water too hot?" she asked.

"No, it's perfect. Your face is looking red, though. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were blushing." He rubbed his nose against hers then pressed his lips to one of her flushed cheeks.

"I was thinking the same about you. I don't even remember the last time this sort of thing made me blush," she said. "When it's just the two of us, I feel so at ease." Leaning back slightly, she stroked his chest with the soapy washcloth.

Roy took the other washcloth from the side of the tub and got it soapy while Riza moved her attention downward, rubbing circles over his skin just above the navel. He started with her back, rubbing long strokes all the way down from her shoulders to her hips. When she looked at him inquisitively, he said, "Saving the best for last."

"I hope you're planning on getting a clean washcloth for my face," she teased, bringing her own washcloth up to wash his back.

Roy set his cloth aside from washing her arms and picked up the bottle of shampoo. "Turn around," he said.

She wet her hair first then settled between his legs, leaning into his chest as he piled her hair high to shampoo it. The small noises of pleasure she made while he massaged her scalp made him smile. He could feel her back and shoulders relax against him, and the peace she seemed to feel made him wish he could wash her hair every day. If anyone deserved a break, she did. He'd never known anyone who worked harder, and with midterms coming up, he wanted to pamper her as much as he could.

When they were both clean, Riza turned off the jets and drained the tub while Roy got out. He dried his chest quickly and wrapped the towel around his waist. He held the second out for Riza, who he wrapped up in it as soon as she stepped out of the bath. She shivered and he held her tighter, rubbing her back until she stepped away to dry herself.

They found robes hanging on the back of the door, and traded the towels for them. Roy combed the tangles from Riza's hair as gently as he could before they left the bathroom. While Riza curled up on the bed, Roy closed the curtains. He turned off the lights apart from those on either side of the bed and climbed in beside Riza, depositing the box of condoms and a bottle of lubricant on the nightstand.

"I don't know how long I'll last tonight," she said apologetically. "I'm a little sleepy after that bath."

"If you want to sleep now, that's alright with me," he said, reaching for the covers. He pulled them up to their hips and she leaned against him.

"I don't want to sleep, I want you. Just don't be upset if I only make one round tonight. We'll have to work on those copies in the morning." She kissed down his jawline to his chin then shifted to kiss his mouth, holding her lips against his for a moment before pulling away.

Roy gave her a quick squeeze. "Just sleeping in the same bed as you will be a nice change. Can I help you out of that robe?" he asked.

She nodded and he untied the belt, slipped it from her shoulders, and tossed it to the foot of the bed. He did the same with his own.

"Lie back," Riza said. "I'm afraid I might fall asleep right after I come if I'm lying down."

Roy did as she asked, settling into the plush pillow as Riza moved to straddle his face. She twined her fingers with his as she lowered herself toward his mouth. Squeezing her hands, he began kissing her, letting her decide where with the motion of her hips. She stopped moving when he started to use her tongue, keeping herself steady with her clit in perfect position, and her thighs trembling around his face. The quiet gasps and whimpers she made egged him on in teasing her, alternating between staccato flicks and stroking her slowly with his tongue flat. He knew she wouldn't cry out, wouldn't scream his name, and after years of this, he didn't mind one bit: he understood the little noises, the spasms in her legs and hands just as well as anything she said aloud. Sometimes she teased that he knew her better than he knew himself and he had a feeling she was right.

As she approached her climax, Riza's breathing grew sharper and her nails dug into the backs of his hands. Roy responded with a chaste kiss over her clit and he heard Riza's head come to rest against the headboard.

"Don't stop," she begged. "Keep teasing me if you like, but please don't—oh!" she said, her voice still soft, though it was rich with pleasure as Roy resumed licking, faster than before. "That feels wonderful, Roy, yes, like that, just like that."

Riza was soaking wet now—he could feel it on his chin. As if he needed any more motivation to do as she asked. A few more flicks of his tongue and he felt the telltale shudder, heard Riza's sigh of release as her thighs trembled against his cheeks. Gently, he sucked on her clit until her orgasm faded and she shifted to let him know she wanted him to let her go.

She moved backward toward his erection, taking one of her hands from his to reach for a condom. With practiced grace, she rolled it onto him, smeared lube over the top, and guided him into her. This time, she was the one drawing the sigh from him. Her hand returned to his as she began rocking her hips. He struggled to match her rhythm, distracted by the motion of her breasts above him. Noticing his diverted attention, Riza leaned forward to kiss him, and he relished the feeling of her breasts against his chest, of her lips against his. And then her tongue was in his mouth, her hips grinding down on his as she took his entire length inside her, and he closed his eyes. He tried to say her name but it was little more than a muffled moan into her mouth. His hips lifted as hers sank down again, their rhythm evening out as he approached his own orgasm.

All too soon, her mouth was gone, and he opened his eyes to see her above him, wet hair in disarray, lips curled into a smile, eyes bright. The most beautiful sight in the world, no matter how many times he saw it, would always be Riza when she was happy. And tired as she was, she looked exuberant right now, pleased that her plan had worked, that Roy had been surprised and thrilled by her present, and now that they were both about to end this day with the pleasure they rarely allowed themselves to experience even now that they technically had a room they could use every night if they wanted to.

Roy's orgasm drew her name from his lips, louder than he would have dared at the dorms. "Riza," he moaned, "Riza, god, Riza, you're wonderful."

She looked pleased about that, and leaned forward once again to kiss him, only a brief brush of her lips against his this time. "You're pretty good yourself, Roy." A few more motions of her hips and she let him slip out of her. She removed the condom and threw it in the trash, moving to lie beside him instead of on top of him. They still shared a pillow, and he watched her eyelids flutter as she struggled to keep them open.

He kissed her forehead. "Ready to sleep?" he asked.

She nodded, lips dragging across his shoulder as her head moved.

"Goodnight, then, Riza." He kissed her forehead and pulled the covers up to her chin. Wrapping an arm around her, he said, "I love you."

"Love you, too," she said through a half-suppressed yawn. She shifted slightly, putting an arm around him as well to pull herself even closer to him. Though they now shared a bigger bed than either of them had ever slept in, they fell asleep as close as they did in his dorm.


	7. Chapter 7

Riza stood just inside the door to the student center, waiting for the rain to let up. Someone had taken her umbrella while she was in the testing center and she dreaded the walk back to the dorms without it. The rain that came down in sheets was icy, more like the beginning of March than May. Her phone buzzed in her purse and she pulled it out, hoping one of her friends had found her umbrella. It was a text from Kain to everyone in their group, begging them to come to his room at once. With one last glance at the students huddled around her, she dashed out into the rain.

By the time she reached the dorms, her clothes were dripping and her teeth chattered, but she didn't stop to change, instead running the length of the hall to get to Kain's room, where he sat alone on the bed, holding a tiny puppy.

"I found him outside shivering," Kain said.

"You know you can't keep him here," Riza said, although her heart melted at the sight of the poor dog. It wasn't like Kain had a roommate who would turn him in.

"I know that, but how can I put him out in the rain again? He'll die!"

Heymans showed up, looking even more drenched than Riza. He took one look and ran right back down the hall to his own room. Riza raised an eyebrow at Kain, who shrugged.

"I didn't know he was scared of puppies. I just thought it was big dogs." Kain cuddled the puppy closer, looking past Riza as Jean strolled in, hair mussed and still in his pajamas.

"So that's the text I missed, huh? Doesn't look like much, but if the rain keeps up, we won't make it to the cafeteria. Good find." Jean reached for the puppy but Kain clutched it tighter.

"Jean, no," Riza scolded. "No one is going to eat the puppy. I'll make sure of it."

"Well if we're not getting lunch today, I'm going back to bed," Jean said. He left, giving an exaggerated yawn.

"What's all this about lunch?" Roy stepped in, leaning on an umbrella like a cane. Riza's umbrella.

She poked him hard in the chest. "You stole my umbrella? Why didn't you just wait for me? I was almost done."

Unabashed, Roy presented the umbrella to her. "Didn't you get my note? 'Need to go to the library, borrowed umbrella, back in ten—XOXO.' When I got back, you were gone, and then I got Kain's text so I came here."

Kain cleared his throat and held up the puppy. "He needs a home and I'm scared I'll get caught. I can't afford to live off campus."

Stepping closer, Roy took the puppy and held it up to his face, eyes narrowed. "A dog? I've always wanted a dog."

"Don't you start," Riza said, shooting him a warning glance. "I know all about your plans for a personal canine army. He used to be terrible at pillow talk," she added when Kain looked at her with a mixture of horror and confusion.

Faster than either Roy or Riza could react, Kain snatched the puppy away. "Maybe you could take him, Riza."

"I can't afford an apartment either, Kain," she said, reaching out to scratch between the puppy's ears.

"I can," Roy said. "My inheritance is only on hold until I'm twenty-one, so by the time we come back next semester, I'll have the money. And if Kain doesn't trust me to raise a dog, I could always use some help paying the rent." He looked sideways at Riza, a cajoling smile on his face. "And it would get awful lonely with just a puppy for company and only getting to see you when I came to campus."

She considered protesting, reminding him of their pact about waiting until graduation, but that had been about marriage, and he hadn't suggested that at all. "I'll take him," Riza said at length, taking the puppy from Kain. "I'll have to be strict, though. It might take two of us to keep this one in line in his first apartment." She gave Roy an affectionate nudge in the ribs.

"So you'll move in with me?" Roy looked as though he had won the lottery. "If I had known it was that easy, I'd have picked up a stray years ago."

"I already live with you during the summer, remember?" Riza said, shaking her head. "Now, I think this little guy needs a name. How about Black Hayate?"

Kain and Roy exchanged a pained glance. "He's your dog, so it's your call. But I'll be naming our kids," Roy said.

That stung and Riza gave Hayate a tiny squeeze for comfort. "Our kids, not your kids. Don't I get a say?"

"Only if you want them to have to deal with bullies their whole lives," Roy said. "I'm putting my foot down now before you make some kind of internet campaign. 'One million likes and my husband will let me name our daughter October Monsoon Hawkeye-Mustang'. Not on my watch."

"What the hell kind of name is October Monsoon?" Riza demanded.

Roy looked exasperated. "The kind I wouldn't put past you. Just last week, I heard you tell Rebecca you liked Cassiopeia for a girl and Reginald for a boy."

"Cassie and Reggie for short," Riza said.

"Then why not Cassie and Reggie? Don't make the first day of every school year harder than it has to be."

As if to remind them that they were still in his room, Kain cleared his throat. "Black Hayate isn't that bad of a name. I mean, it could be worse. If Jean wasn't going to eat him, he might have called him Doge."

"Are you kidding? That would've been hilarious." Roy scratched Hayate's ears. "Such name. Wow."

That was it. Riza had anticipated Roy disagreeing on baby names—well into the future, she had hoped—but turning her new pet into the second coming of a meme was more than she could handle now that she had to figure out a way to hide him on top of finishing a paper and taking two more finals. Not to mention that it was just now sinking in that she had agreed to move in with Roy with only a moment's hesitation after years of suggesting they wait until they graduated first.

Meanwhile, Kain and Roy were getting into the swing of things, talking back and forth more than they were to Hayate, and Riza slipped away unnoticed. She went back to her room; Rebecca was still out but Riza didn't mind. It wasn't like she would object to keeping a puppy in their room. If anything, she'd be thrilled Riza had finally chosen to break a rule all by herself.

Riza took a mason jar from the windowsill. The flower inside had died months ago, despite their best efforts to keep it alive. After dumping the contents in the trash, she carried it to the bathroom and wiped it out with a wet paper towel. Five minutes later, she was back in Kain's room, where he and Roy were now watching videos and laughing their asses off.

"Oh, hey, Riza," Roy said, looking up at her. "Sit down, you're going to love this one we just watched. Go back—show her the one at the grocery store. Do you think we could do that with Hayate?"

Kain nodded emphatically. "Such—"

Riza cut him off with a sharp glare as she held out the jar. She had stuck a piece of masking tape to the side and written in Sharpie, "Doge Meme Jar".

"What's that?" Roy asked.

"It's where I'll be collecting fines," Riza said. "Remember when Maes was afraid Gracia would be scared off by Jean's language and he had a jar we had to put a dollar in every time one of us swore? Same principle. Every time someone makes a reference to that meme, it's a dollar in the jar."

"Only when you're around," Roy muttered.

Before Riza had a chance to respond, Jean appeared in the doorway beside her, out of breath. "Guys," he said, "please tell me you didn't get rid of the dog. We have to keep it. I just realized that it's the same kind of—what are you doing?" He scratched his head, looking puzzled while Roy and Kain frantically slashed their fingers in front of their throats. "Are you saying Riza made you kill it? Such mean. Many—"

"That's one dollar," Riza said, extending the jar to Jean.

"Now that's just cruel. Come on, Riza, don't you see the opportunity here?" He put an arm around her, using the other to gesture vaguely in the direction of whatever opportunity he was clearly imagining.

"Only the opportunity to buy dog food with the proceeds of this jar when you slip up. I'll let you off the hook this time since you didn't know, but I'll expect you to pay up when it happens again." Extracting herself from Jean, she crossed the room to sit beside Roy. All it took was her hand on his knee for him to give her a subtle nod and leave the room with her.

Out in the hall, he leaned against his door. "Your place or mine?"

Riza shook her head. "I didn't mean sex. I just need to talk to you alone."

"As I said, your place or mine? Or did you mean my car on the way to the pet store because we're now responsible for a puppy?" Roy gave her a sympathetic smile. It must've been obvious she hadn't even had time to think about how they were going to take care of Hayate while he was hidden. She had been so busy making sure he wasn't a laughing stock and worrying about the sudden change in her housing situation that a trip to the pet store had been the last thing on her mind.

"I'll get my purse," she said, unlocking her own door.

Roy followed her in and scooped Hayate up. "I think we should keep him in my room until we get back so you have a chance to talk to Rebecca first."

When Hayate was safely hidden in Roy's room and they were safely alone in the privacy of Roy's car, Riza finally dared voice the concerns that had been plaguing her ever since the hasty agreement she had made just to keep her new dog. "So, we're moving in together," she said, looking over at Roy.

"You don't sound very excited about that. What's wrong, Riza?" Roy asked, sounding equally wounded and concerned. "We'll finally have the means and you won't have to worry about all the things that stress you out about living in the dorms. No more shared bathrooms or noisy neighbors. No more fraternity rushes streaking through the halls. I'm the only naked man you'll ever have to worry about."

Riza wrinkled her nose. "I am looking forward to those things, and I am excited to start a life together, but I'd always pictured it starting after we'd graduated. I'm worried that you might be digging into that money too soon."

Silence stretched between them as they pulled out of the parking lot, and Riza wasn't sure if Roy was struggling to think of a response or simply focused on navigating the busy and rainy street. When they came to a red light, he said, "We'll live somewhere cheap, and as soon as we've graduated, I'm sure you could get a job anywhere you want."

"It's not as simple as that. I was thinking of continuing with school so I can get a job at a university. Maybe I could find work on the side, but we'll be scraping." She said the last word with a shudder and it left a foul taste in her mouth, reminding her of the years after her mother's death.

"At least we'd be together," Roy said.

Riza scoffed. "A pretty thought from someone who's never been poor a day in his life. You remember what it was like for me, what I went home to every day if you or Rebecca didn't insist I stayed the night at one of your houses. I never want to go back to that."

They were still several blocks from the pet store, but Roy pulled into the parking lot of a real estate office. Once the car was in park, he reached over and pulled Riza into a hug. "It won't be like that ever again. I'll do my share of the chores and I'll never, ever treat you the way your father did. Sure, we won't be able to live in the nicest house, and we'll probably be driving this car for the next ten years, but I can promise you you'll never have to live like that again." He kissed her briefly then leaned his forehead against hers. As awkward as it was with seatbelts still on, the comfort she felt in Roy's embrace soothed away the worst of her fears. He had always been there for her when things were hard before, and so would the rest of their friends. And on top of that, they would have a comfortable bed and better food even if they had to cut back on other things.

"You're right. We'll be ok, but there is one other thing we have to sort out before I agree to move in with you."

Roy pulled back, eyebrows raised. "What is it?"

"Our kids," she said. "I want a say in their names."

Hugging her again, tighter this time, Roy laughed. "Alright. We'll decide together. Now let's go so we can get back to our pet." The slight emphasis he put on the word "our" made Riza's heart swell. Whatever fears she had for the future, Roy's confidence in it was starting to rub off on her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the first in a series of chapters I've been planning on writing since the beginning, and the first truly new chapter on here. It's mostly SFW, but some of the dialogue isn't.

If the airplane's armrests managed to remain in place when the plane stopped at the gate and Roy stood up, Riza would count it as a small miracle. He had slept for most of the flight, leaving a small patch of drool on her shoulder, and now she was glad he had slept it off. His fingers were going to be stiff enough as it was.

"It's okay," she told him. "The runway's near the ocean. We aren't about to crash."

"Who said anything about crashing?" he asked, the tightness in his voice unmistakable to Riza, though she imagined most would have missed it.

Riza placed her hand over the one Roy had wrapped around the armrest between them, grateful for an entirely new reason that she had gotten the window seat. "You don't have to pretend for me."

The wheels touched down and Roy let out a tiny hiss of breath, barely audible above the sound of the reversing engines. The armrests stayed where they were at the gate, but both were slick with sweat. Roy nearly dropped his suitcase onto Kain's head when he pulled it down. He wiped his hands before getting Riza's, and it came easier. She followed him up the aisle, grateful that he was proud enough not to run anyone over in the process in spite of how badly he wanted off the plane. Their free hands joined as soon as they reached the ramp and Roy held his out behind him for Riza to take. The sun was blinding but she didn't want to let go to find the glasses that were buried somewhere in her oversized purse. Packing for two, she had said, since Roy hadn't bothered packing a second carryon. He had brought a plastic bag of snacks instead.

With the pavement firmly beneath his feet, Roy finally relaxed again and Riza fell into step beside him the rest of the way through the airport.

"Hey, this isn't your honeymoon. You don't have to ditch the rest of us," Jean complained from behind them.

Riza hadn't realized that a small family had separated them from their friends. Even Maes and Gracia hadn't disappeared into their own world like she and Roy had. "We're sorry," she said, tugging on Roy's hand until he slowed.

"I'm not that sorry," he said under his breath.

As the rest of the group caught up, Kain made an attempt to lighten the mood. "It was very thoughtful of whoever your mysterious donor is to pay for all of us to go."

"A little spooky that they knew our names, though," Jean said. "Who do we know that has enough money to afford to send eight people on this kind of trip?"

"Maybe it was my aunt," Roy said. "She offered to pay for our furniture, but we turned her down. It would explain why it was anonymous."

"This is a lot more expensive than furniture, and don't you remember our reservations? Wouldn't she have put them in your name instead of mine?" Riza felt as though she were the only one to have noticed anything out of the ordinary about that, in conjunction with Roy's theory. The rest of her friends simply shrugged while Roy shook his head.

He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "You always were the responsible one out of the pair of us. She knew that as well as anyone."

Not particularly reassured, Riza nodded. It still seemed suspicious to her, but she realized it was pointless to argue that point when everybody else had already accepted the seemingly obvious answer. There was a shuttle waiting just beyond the lane of cars waiting for passengers to arrive or to remove their luggage. The group crossed just in time to clamber through the doors.

The air-conditioning was a welcome relief after the morning heat outside. The sea air was so much warmer here than it was at home. It was, however, something Riza could see herself getting used to after the initial shock wore off. It was certainly better than the snow at school. _Though I suppose that's home now._

Roy sensed that Riza was unsettled, and he pulled her against his shoulder as though he could read her thoughts. She shut her eyes and reminded herself that, even if they didn't know who had paid, she was on vacation now, and dwelling on what waited for her on the other side of it would only spoil the trip.

When the paperwork was taken care of, the luggage packed, and everyone had piled into the rental Suburban, Jean tapped Riza's shoulder. "Do we each get our own rooms?" he asked.

"I think there are only four," Riza said, trying to recall the information in the folder she had received in the mail. She could almost hear Rebecca fidgeting in the back seat. Ever since they had decided to accept the mysterious offer, Riza had been fantasizing about spending a week in paradise with Roy. If anything was going to tip Rebecca's relationship with Jean into romantic territory, it would be this, and Riza had a feeling Rebecca knew it, too. At the same moment, she felt a twinge of pity for Heymans and Kain, and she determined she would do everything she could to make sure they didn't feel left out when they were surrounded by couples on all sides.

As she drove toward town, Roy punched the address of the beach house into his phone. "I wonder if there's a pool," he said.

"I think the ocean is the pool," Riza said.

Roy didn't look very convinced. "The beach looked pretty rocky to me on satellite view."

With a tiny sigh, Riza shook her head. "I'm sure we'll find plenty that live up to your expectations."

"Are we there yet?" Jean asked.

"No!" Riza and Roy said at the same time.

Roy raised and lowered his eyebrows at her. "Jinx."

"I'm not stopping to buy you a soda, but you can pick one out at the grocery store later."

The house, much to Riza's delight, had a kitchen. Eating out every meal would add up far too quickly for her liking, and she had no desire to compensate for that with fast food. While Roy was busy stashing his snacks in the pantry, she took their luggage upstairs to their room. A sliding door in the far wall led out to a small deck, which is where Roy found her several minutes later. He joined her in leaning against the railing, looking out at the waves that crashed against the rocky shoreline. His shoulder brushed against her own and she looked over at him.

"Should I tell everyone to get back in the car so you can get your soda?" she teased.

He turned to press his lips to her neck. "I was thinking of something more along the lines of seeing how comfortable our bed is."

"Mmm, I think we're both in need of a shower before that happens." Riza's hair felt dirty and still smelled slightly like the airplane. Her clothes were rumpled, and Roy's were much worse. Not to mention the rest of their friends, who certainly wouldn't want to kick off their vacation waiting around while the designated driver was fooling around.

Roy kissed her neck again. "I think you're fine the way you are, but if you're not ready, we can always head to the beach first."

"I can accept that," Riza said. "I'll find my swimsuit." She slipped away from his lips, returning inside to unzip her suitcase. Shifting through her neatly packed clothes, she picked the two-piece swimsuit. It was nearly as conservative as the one-piece, but so far neither Rebecca nor Roy had managed to coax her into what they dubbed a proper bikini. She had a feeling they never would.

Roy's suitcase was packed every bit as neatly as Riza's. She had taken one look at his attempt to cram clothing and toiletries into it and asked him to step aside while she fixed it. However, instead of removing his swimming trunks, he was watching Riza change. She gave him a tiny smile, with no desire to begrudge him this when she had already shot down his attempt to initiate sex.

Once they had both changed and Riza had pulled a cover-up over her head, they went back downstairs.

"I'm surprised to see you two back so soon," Rebecca said. "If you come up for air that fast, the ocean's going to knock you out."

"We decided to go to the beach first," Riza said, grateful that Roy didn't try to correct her. "Everyone's welcome to join us."

Roy made a small noise of disagreement that the rest of the group seemed to have missed because everyone else except for Jean headed for the stairs.

"Looks like you got the short straw," Roy teased as Jean sifted through his suitcase.

"Rebecca said she should have a room to herself, and Heymans cheats at rock paper scissors," he grumbled in response.

It took only a short walk up the road for the group to find a small beach in an open stretch between houses and a resort. A few people had already staked out spots on the shore, but there was plenty of room left.

Riza spread her towel on the sand and reached into her beach bag for the travel sunscreen she had packed. Once she had spread it everywhere she could reach, she stretched out on her stomach and held the bottle out to Roy, who massaged more sunscreen onto her back. When he had finished, she did the same for him, although without straddling him the way he had done with her.

As soon as she lay back down, this time on her back, she let her eyes flutter half-closed as she watched the sea, barely visible thanks to the slope of the beach. Gentle waves curled and then spread, flattening as they caressed the sand. The soothing sounds that accompanied this had almost lulled her to sleep, but before she managed to succumb to the rhythmic waves and warmth of the sun, Roy's voice cut through the calm.

"Hey, I don't think I got enough sunscreen on your back."

"'M sleeping on my back," she mumbled.

"No, you're talking. C'mon, I don't want you to burn if you roll over."

"Shut up, Roy," Rebecca said from Riza's other side. "You just want to get as close to fucking her as you can on a public beach. I saw the way you were straddling her."

Realizing that her chance for a nap was pretty much shot at this point, Riza sat up on her knees and looked out over the sparkling turquoise sea. "I think I'm going for a swim."

"Can I join you?" Roy asked.

"If you like. We won't go too far from shore."

"Careful, Riza, I think Roy's idea of swimming might be closer to fooling around in the water." Rebecca had cracked open a book and was watching them over the pages.

"And he knows that I'm not interested. He'll be on his best behavior until we get back to our room." Without even bothering to give him her best _won't you, Roy?_ look, she stood and strode down to the edge of the water with Roy trotting along behind her.

"Good boy," Rebecca called out.

Roy fell into step beside Riza and said into her ear. "I feel bad for Jean. First getting kicked to the couch when everyone knows she's as interested in him as he is in her, and now this reminder that she's so…unpleasant."

"She's not unpleasant," Riza said, stopping to give him a stern look with her arms folded across her chest. "She's harder on you than she would be on Jean because she feels like she has to protect me."

Roy snorted. "Protect you? Riza, we've been together for years. Surely by now she's figured out how much I care about you. She's just being a pain in the ass."

"She's my best friend and you can be a pain in the ass yourself. She picks up on that." Riza started walking again, stepping gingerly into the water. It was colder than she expected after coming this far south, but with nothing but deep, open ocean beyond, she supposed it could be worse. Roy, however, balked at the temperature, jumping back in an overly dramatic way that made her shake her head.

Shuffling carefully among the scattered rocks in the sand, she reached water deep enough to sink into. The sudden cold of her swimsuit clinging to her as it hit the water made her draw in a sharp breath between her teeth, but she dove forward and began to swim, the motion warming her more effectively than Roy's two steps forward, one step back routine was likely to help him. She paddled around the small cove, finding the current stronger than she had anticipated, and not daring to venture further from the shore.

Roy had finally dared swim out to her, and she began treading water. "Starting to warm up yet?"

"I was until you made me stop," he said. "And you don't have wet shorts clinging to your legs."

"I have a wet top stuck to my chest." Riza moved closer and put one arm around his neck. "Does this warm you up?"

"No, your boobs are like ice!" he said. "I can feel your nipples stabbing me."

"I thought you'd like that."

"Not when they're tiny icicles."

She kissed his cheek, keeping her lips close to his ear to whisper, "I'm counting on you to thaw them out when we get back."

Roy pulled away to grin at her. "I like the sound of that."

His arm wrapped tight around her waist, holding her closer as they kept themselves afloat while trying not to kick each other. With the sun warming her shoulders, and the comfort of Roy's embrace, Riza let all her worries slip away. This vacation was exactly what she needed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos/bookmarks/comments so far! I hope the pacing of this section isn't too strange, since all the other chapters have been so spread out and now I have a bunch that take place in a short time. I guess I can always apologize for the strangeness of it all with smut, right? Because there's some ahead.

When Riza looked back at the shore, she noticed two things. The first was that Jean was standing on the water's edge shouting to get her attention, and the second was how far away he had gotten. While they had been focused on holding each other, she and Roy had been swept farther from shore than she would have liked. Disentangling herself from the careful embrace, she was now able to keep herself in place. Roy, however, seemed frozen by sudden terror as he bobbed ever so slowly away from her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I think there's an eel. I feel something on my shoulder."

Riza narrowed her eyes slightly and moved closer to him to pluck the leaf off of his back. "Is this your eel?"

"It's—um—yes, thank you." He looked sheepish and buried himself in the water to swim back to shore without another word.

Back on shore, Maes looked concerned. "Are you leaving already? What happened?"

"Someone couldn't keep his hands to himself is my bet," Rebecca said without looking up from her book.

Riza slipped her arm around Roy's and took his hand, hoping he would keep in mind what she had told him about Rebecca earlier and only respond to Maes, who had already gotten up and taken a few steps toward them.

"We're fine," Riza said gently. "This isn't the best place to swim and I believe Roy wants to get cleaned up." She shot a warning glare at Rebecca before she could ask what exactly it was that had made Roy feel like taking a shower was a better option than staying at the beach.

Roy carried his shirt and the towels under his free arm, but Riza wore her cover-up on the way back. She held her head high as they passed others on the road, even though she had a feeling her dripping ponytail and the way her cover-up clung to her wet swimsuit made her look like a mess in comparison with Roy, whose chest seemed to puff out a little every time someone looked his way. She found his confidence too endearing to let herself get caught up in any kind of self-confidence. And once they were safely hidden away inside the vacation home, Roy turned his whole attention on her: lavishing kisses on every bit of exposed skin above her cover-up, running his hands down her sides to rest on her hips, and saying in a husky voice, "Wish we could pretend this was our honeymoon."

"We can until they get back," she said as he lifted her cover-up over her head. "And we will get a real honeymoon one day. You know that, don't you?"

He shrugged, arms coming to rest around Riza's newly exposed waist. "It still feels so far away."

"Let's enjoy what we have now," Riza said. His chest was still hot from the sunshine when she rested her head against it, humming contentedly. She knew he was eager to get her into bed, but just for a moment, all she wanted was to hold him close.

They inched apart after a minute or so, and when she looked up at him, Roy was smiling in a dazed sort of way. He pressed his lips to hers briefly then said, "I love you."

"I love you, too, even if you are scared of leaves."

They showered efficiently: washing themselves and rinsing the salt from their clothing without letting their hands wander to each other just yet. The waiting only heightened their desire, something they knew from experience. Roy's pent up sexual frustration seemed to reach its peak as they dried off.

"It really is a shame there's not a topless beach anywhere on this island," he said while Riza dried her hair.

Indignant, Riza moved the towel with more force than necessary. "I'm completely naked right now and you're concerned that you can't see me half-naked on a beach when you know I would leave my top on anyway?"

"You wouldn't have to take it off on the beach, just when we were out in the water," Roy explained, though Riza was still extremely confused.

"Out…in the water?"

"I wanted to test a theory of mine."

Now that got her attention. She set the towel aside and sat on the edge of the tub. "What theory?"

"I wanted to see if your boobs would float." He scratched the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed.

Riza let out a long, slow breath as she tried not to laugh. "Roy, you do know what breasts are made of, don't you?" When he nodded, she continued, "Of course they float."

"Have you tested my theory then?" he asked, perking up.

"What? No, of course I haven't. When would I have had the chance? Besides, I already know that fat is less dense than water. I don't need to watch my breasts float to know they would." She pinched the bridge of her nose, still trying to hold onto her composure so Roy wouldn't be hurt by her laughter.

"If you ever get the chance, can we try? In the name of science?" Roy held out a hand to pull her back to her feet and into his arms.

She kissed him. "We'll see."

"That usually means no," he reminded her.

"If we ever buy a house with its own pool, I might be willing to negotiate." Letting her eyelids flutter half-closed, she gave Roy another kiss. He deepened it, drawing a soft moan from Riza, who leaned into him.

"Ready to go to bed?" he asked.

In response, she gave him a sultry smile, took him by the hand, and led him there. They had just turned down the covers and settled into position with Riza lying on the crisp sheets and Roy kissing her neck when they heard a door slam shut downstairs. Roy paused and Riza tangled her hands in his hair. "Keep going," she said. "We don't have to stop until they knock on our door."

The pressure of Roy's lips moved from her neck down to her breasts, and he took one of her nipples in his mouth. Riza tried to tune out the pounding of footsteps on the stairs in order to focus on Roy's tongue and the way one of his hands was caressing her thigh.

After a series of quick kisses down her belly, Roy settled between Riza's legs and began to kiss her, slow and teasing. Just the way she liked. She grasped for some sort of hold on the tightly stretched sheets. In the end, her futile struggle proved unnecessary. Just as Roy began to use his tongue again, there was a knock at the door.

Riza gave a frustrated groan and Roy sat up, his mouth glistening with her wetness. Riza mimed wiping her own and he caught her meaning, following her example as he scrambled off the bed and found a pair of boxers. Riza pulled the covers over her head while he opened the door and stepped outside, shutting it behind himself.

Poking her head out, she strained to hear the conversation, returning to her previous position when she heard the door open again.

"This is for you," Roy said, tossing the letter onto the pillow beside her.

The door was shut again so she kicked the covers back. "For me?"

"I think it's from whoever sent us here."

Riza opened the envelope and removed the folded paper. It had a letterhead that indicated it was resort stationery and read,

_Dear Riza,_

_I hope you and your friends will be so kind as to join me tomorrow evening at my resort's beachside restaurant. Six-thirty would be ideal. All will be explained._

Riza held the letter out for Roy to read and his brow furrowed as he reached the end. "I don't recognize this handwriting," he said.

"Neither do I. There's no name, either, apart from mine." She crammed the note back in the envelope and set it on the nightstand, trying to put it out of her mind.

"We don't have to go if you aren't comfortable," Roy said, taking one of her hands in both of his. "We can just ignore it and finish this vacation without worrying."

"I want to go. I want to know what kind of person has the resources to send eight strangers on a trip like this." She sank back onto the bed. "But you're right. If I don't put it out of my mind for now, I'll let the next two days go by without even trying to enjoy myself. Let's finish what we started. If you can't distract me, nothing can."

Wordlessly, Roy obliged, returning to his position between her legs with the same enthusiasm as before. He was tasting her as much as he was pleasuring her, savoring her with every one of his senses. She indulged him by releasing the moan that had built up in her throat, hoping that whoever had been at their door was back downstairs by now.

"Who came back?" she asked.

"Way to kill the moment," Roy said. "It was Jean. Would you like me to continue?"

"Yes. But use your hands when you're talking," she said, pleasure blossoming in the pit of her stomach when he obliged.

While he pushed two fingers inside her, gently stroking her clit with his thumb, he said, "I think I'm done talking, unless there's something else you want to know."

"Why did Jean come back?" she asked.

Roy let his thumb go still. "Is this really the conversation you want to have during sex?"

"No, I suppose it's not," she admitted, grateful she had when Roy's tongue replaced his thumb once more, though he continued stroking with his fingers, each upward thrust burning deep in her gut and drawing whimpers instead of moans as she tossed her head from side to side. Between the alternate slow, wide motions when he kept his tongue flat and the staccato motions when he focused it, she was approaching her climax rapidly, wishing she could cry out. If only Jean hadn't come home! She tried to push all thoughts of him out of her mind, but they had already chased her back from the edge.

"I wonder if Rebecca had something to do with it," she said.

"Seriously, Riza? You were so close."

"I remembered Jean was here and it kind of reset everything. Felt like it used to when my dad would come home."

Roy sighed, moving up to rest his chin on her navel and his arms at her sides. "I'd try and talk you into forgetting about him, but I think my mouth might be a little busy once we get going. Unless you want to go downstairs and ask him about what's wrong."

"No, no, I want this. I want _you._ " She placed her hands on his shoulders, squeezed them reassuringly.

Roy smiled and tilted his head forward to press a kiss to her belly. "I want you, too. The next vacation we take, it'll just be you and me, okay?"

She nodded in agreement. "Just you and me. Now let's try this again."

He started with kisses like before—her hips, her thighs, her opening—until the soft sensation of his mouth on her skin had her wet and begging for him. This time, she listened to his noises of pleasure. The appreciative rumble in his throat as he sucked ever so gently on her clit. The tiny whine when she began stroking his hair.

"Roy, Roy, mmm," she trailed off, unable to speak. The rest of her words turned into squeaks, and her hips rose from the bed, legs trembling as her pleasure spread until it burst through her in a brighter blast than the light coming through the sliding door. She cried out in spite of herself, gasping for breath as she tightened around Roy's fingers. The release left her floating, barely aware of the bed or the room, only the sensation of Roy and the surge of affection she felt for him in the wake of her climax.

"Your turn," she said. "Lose the boxers."

Roy laughed lightly, moving up to nuzzle her neck. "Straightforward as ever, I see."

"I want to make you feel as good as I do right now," she said, caressing the back of his neck, letting her hand glide down to the depression between his shoulder blades.

He looked up, eyes blazing but the rest of his expression gentle. "You don't want me to keep going with you?"

"Together," she said.

Roy shifted off of her, stepping down onto the floor to remove his boxers, while Riza stood to walk to the door, letting her hips swing a little more than usual when she noticed Roy watching her in the faint reflection. She opened the door just enough to let the breeze into their room and returned to the bed, where Roy was already lying on his back, wearing a lubricated condom and looking at her with mingled reverence and desire.

It was her turn to lie on him, to kiss his chest and gently stroke her fingers up his length before she guided it into her, sinking back slowly, slowly, as he let out a sigh of pleasure. His eyes closed briefly, but fluttered open to look into her own, encouraging her to keep going, to rock her hips slowly while he placed his hands on them. She used her own hands to caress his chest, thumbs rubbing his nipples until they stiffened, the sensation and the motion of Riza's hips turning his breaths to ragged gasps punctuated by her name.

She sat up again, still rocking her hips, though the motion was sharper and shorter this time, no longer threatening to allow him to slip out with every forward thrust of her body, and while he held her hips steady, fingertips pressing into her skin, she began to rub her clit.

"I can do that for you," Roy said, lifting his head slightly and moving one of his hands from her hips.

"It's your turn to lie back and relax," she said. "I can manage."

Her free hand came to rest on the one Roy had lifted, guiding it back to her hip and holding it there. He let his head fall back to the pillow, moaning slightly, trusting Riza to take care of both of them. The closer she brought herself, the better it felt for him, she knew, and she smiled at the throaty groans she elicited from him.

When she came this time, it was tight and sharp, and she enjoyed the sensation of squeezing around him, of seeing the look in his eyes when her orgasm sent him over the edge as well, the way he threw his head back into the pillow and cried out much louder than she had—a wordless noise she knew by heart at this point in their relationship.

Riza leaned forward again, letting each cycle of her hips back and forth let him a little farther out until she finally felt him slip out entirely. They were both breathing hard, and Roy's hands left her hips as he wrapped his arms around her, drawing her tight against his chest. Burying her head in his neck, she felt her exhaustion catch up with her at last, and she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in his arms, surrounded by the sound of the waves carried on the breeze.

Roy seemed to sense her weariness and he gently rolled both of them onto their sides, moving one hand up to stroke her hair. "I'll clean us up," he said, "and then you can take that nap I interrupted back at the beach."

"Thanks," she said, closing her eyes when she felt him leave her. It was only for a few minutes, and then she felt a cool cloth between her legs, and then Roy was lying beside her again, holding her to his chest. She was almost asleep when someone pounded on the door again.

"I'm going to kill Jean Havoc," she said sleepily.

"I'll take care of it for you," he promised. "You go to sleep. I'll be back to join you."

"Take the boxers off when you do. 'S nicer that way."

"I know, I know." He pulled the covers up to her chin, and she heard him dress and open the door. "What is it this time?"

"I know Riza's there. I have a few things I'd like to ask her," Jean's voice said from the doorway.

"She's sleeping," Roy said. "Can it wait?"

"Not for long. It's about Rebecca."


	10. Chapter 10

"Just give her a few minutes," Roy said, closing the door in Jean's face and retrieving clothes for Riza from her suitcase. With a great deal of reluctance, she got out of bed and put them on.

Jean looked completely frazzled when Riza opened the door again. Since he seemed too lost in his own thoughts to give her a proper greeting, she said, "What's wrong with Rebecca?"

"You tell me," Jean said.

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you're talking about." Riza looked at Roy, who shrugged, every bit as confused as she was.

Jean ran a hand through his hair. "Let's go out back to talk. I need a cigarette."

Outside on the patio, Riza's nose wrinkled involuntarily at the smell she perhaps should have been used to by now, but she settled into a chair opposite Jean all the same. At least the smoke would keep her awake when the heat of the sun reminded her how sleepy she was. Jean took a few moments to calm himself before pulling the cigarette out of his mouth.

"She's still at the beach," he said.

Riza refrained from pointing out how obvious this was. "Isn't that a good thing if you wanted to ask about her?"

"I was going to ask if she wanted to come back with me, but she started flirting with some guy who showed up just after you left." He put the cigarette back in his mouth and stared past Riza into the distance, looking at the sea. Or maybe he wasn't looking at anything at all.

"That's just Rebecca. She flirts all the time."

"Not with me," Jean said bitterly.

"Are you saying you want her to flirt with you?" Riza asked. She suspected she knew why Rebecca never bothered to flirt with Jean, but she didn't dare tell him until she knew why he was bothered by this stranger who had caught her attention. There was still a chance Rebecca would kill Riza for spilling her secret even if Jean did have feelings for her.

"So what if I do?"

"Why don't you just ask her out and see what happens?" Riza assumed that would be safe enough for her to say.

Jean looked back at her, incredulous. "Ask her out? Are you out of your mind? I can't do that!"

"Why not? You're clearly interested in her," Riza said.

"Well, she's my friend, and if she's not interested…"

"What if she is?" Riza said. A part of her hoped Rebecca was already back and listening in to this conversation, ready to step out and confess her feelings so Riza could go back upstairs to Roy.

"I can't say I've considered that," Jean admitted. "Do you really think I have a chance?"

Riza wished she could tell him what was so glaringly obvious to her because of what Rebecca had confessed: that Rebecca didn't dare flirt with someone she actually cared about. "You should ask her if she wants to go to dinner tonight," Riza suggested instead, hoping it was enough to convince him to take action.

"Yeah, well, what if she says no?"

"She won't." For a moment, Riza sincerely considered walking right back to the beach and having a few words with Rebecca, but since middle school was well behind them, she decided that Rebecca could handle being asked out by her crush without Riza to coach her through it. It made her ridiculously grateful that she and Roy had come together so easily, as though they had known from the start that there would never be anyone else for either of them.

Speaking of Roy, he was now fully dressed and heading out to join the two of them, holding a mug. She watched him approach while Jean continued to smoke, not looking particularly encouraged by anything Riza had said. Roy took the seat next to Riza and pressed the mug into her hands.

"Thank you," she said, taking a sip. Iced coffee was the perfect solution to both the heat and her exhaustion, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that he had managed to get ahold of creamer. The rental company must have left it along with the coffee.

Roy placed a hand on her knee. "What, no kiss?" he teased.

"Not now," she said under her breath, nodding toward Jean.

"Gotcha." He winked at her and turned to Jean. "Change that cigarette for a pipe and you'd look like an old sailor."

"I'm only twenty." Jean crushed his cigarette in the ashtray at the center of the table and buried his head in his hands.

Quietly, to Riza, Roy asked, "Did I just walk in on his quarter-life crisis?"

"Essentially. Poor guy." Riza set her coffee aside and stretched across the table to pat Jean's head. "It's going to be fine," she told him. That seemed to cheer him up, and he lifted his head again.

The door opened again, and this time it was Rebecca who stepped out. "There you are! I was starting to think you left."

Riza shook her head. "I've been here the whole time."

"Not the whole time," Roy reminded her.

"Shut it, Mustang. I don't want to hear about the unholy things you do to my best friend behind closed doors," Rebecca said.

Riza decided not to point out that, when it came to hearing about said unholy things from Riza, Rebecca practically begged. Instead, she said, "I was hoping you'd come home soon. Jean has something to say to you."

"And what is that, Jean?" Rebecca said, her soft tone a far cry from the daggers she was glaring at Riza.

Jean pushed himself away from the table, giving Riza almost as evil of a look as Rebecca was, then turned to face Rebecca. "Would you like to eat tonight?"

"I try to eat every night," Rebecca said. "Or are you asking if I'd like to accompany you to dinner?"

"Yeah, that one," Jean said. "So, then, what'll it be?"

"I can think of worse guys to eat dinner with." Rebecca glanced briefly at Roy, trying to hide a grin. "I guess I can give you a chance."

"That's fi—wait, really?" Jean looked from Rebecca back to Riza with an expression of shock on his face.

"Don't make me change my mind," Rebecca said. She disappeared into the house again and Jean trailed after her, leaving Riza and Roy alone again.

Riza leaned over to kiss Roy's cheek. "There you go."

"Can I have a real one now?" Roy asked.

With a loud sigh to let him know that she had considered that kiss as real as could be, she kissed him again, this time on the lips. He cupped her face in his hand, gently rubbing her cheek with his thumb as he deepened the kiss. Just as she was about to move to Roy's lap in order to make kissing him easier, she was reminded that they weren't alone by wolf-whistling from the kitchen window. Startled, she pulled back and turned to see Jean and Rebecca watching them.

"Do you ever wish we could just go off on our own?" Roy asked.

"All the time. Come on." She stood and led him by the hand back into the house, past Jean and Rebecca, and out the door. It was easy to pretend they were on a private vacation while they walked to town, holding hands and occasionally stealing glances at each other. Anyone watching them might have guessed they were on a honeymoon and Riza wondered for a few moments if maybe she wouldn't mind getting married sooner than she had said.

A flower had fallen onto the road and Roy stopped to pick it up and hold it out to Riza. Smiling, she brought it up to her nose, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. The scent was light and lovely. "Thank you, Roy," she said.

"It's just a flower," he mumbled, but he sounded pleased that she liked it. He squeezed her hand, and the look in his eyes made her knees feel a little weak. "Riza? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just something silly." She kept walking, twirling the flower between her fingers.

Roy looked over at her sideways. "I don't believe that for a second." And then he was playing with her fingers and she was melting again and she had to sit down on the seawall without even bothering to dust it off or to smooth her skirt. Here at the edge of town, people passed by them, but they were as swept up in their own lives as Riza felt in hers, and she found she didn't mind at all when Roy put his arm around her to pull her into his shoulder.

"Do you still think I'm not being silly?" she asked.

"I think you're in love," he said, squeezing her tighter, "and I'm not about to say that's silly because I am, too." He kissed the top of her head then rested his chin on the spot.

Of course she was. Of course they were. She still couldn't shake the feeling that they had grown uncomfortably sentimental today, at least as far as public displays went. She never minded when Roy was overly-sentimental at home, especially not in the time since they had moved in together. Before she had a chance to reflect more on how this felt, an icy spray of water from a rogue wave splashed both of their backs and they leapt up in surprise.

"So much for romance, huh?" Roy said, still holding Riza close even though her wet hair had to feel uncomfortable against his arm.

She laughed and put her arm around his waist, tracing the edges of his abs with her fingertips. "I'm sure we'll have another chance at it tonight," she said into his ear, using a tone she usually reserved for when they were in private. It was completely worth it when she felt him shiver. Experience told her that was going to lead to a delicious night of being teased almost to the point of frustration. Realizing that the heat in her face wasn't just from the sun, she quickly switched from that train of thought before more than just her back got wet.

"Wanna grab lunch?" Roy asked. Now that they were in town, the smells from restaurants were starting to get to them both.

"Did you bring your wallet?" Riza asked. "I left everything in our room."

"Right here," Roy said, patting his pocket.

"I know what you want me to say but I'm afraid it isn't going to happen."

"Oh, come on. Just this once?" He was giving her puppy dog eyes.

She knew without even looking. Instead, she turned her head toward the restaurants on the other side of the street to keep herself from giving in and to see if any of them struck her interest.

"Riza, we have to eat there," Roy said, pointing past her even though she would have known exactly which restaurant he was talking about regardless.

"No," she said. "Just because the name could possibly be taken as innuendo does not mean I want to eat there."

"I'm paying," he said.

"From our shared bank account."

An unintelligible grumble told her he grudgingly admitted she was right. "What are you in the mood for?" he asked.

"Seafood," she said after a moment's thought. The smell of the ocean always did that to her, it seemed.

"I bet they have seafood there. I mean, look at the logo."

"Roy, I'm fairly certain you're not allowed to eat those." She looked at him to drive her point home, but his eyes were still sad. He had only gotten better at this since they had adopted Hayate and she couldn't help but give in. There was no point in being stubborn when she wasn't picky about where they ate and she knew this would make him happy. "Oh, alright, let's go," she said, giving him a gentle squeeze. There was a lull in traffic and they let go of each other to race across the street.

"Thanks, Riza," he said. He caught her hand and laced his fingers through hers, and when she looked over at him again, he looked so damn happy she couldn't help but smile herself.

They spent the rest of the afternoon wandering through shops along the street, with Riza occasionally stopping in front of a dress and feeling the fabric before noticing the price tag and turning away. The one Roy had managed to coax her into now rested in a shopping bag beside her on the seawall. They sat facing the water, leaning against each other as they watched the sunset.

"Can I try yours?" Roy asked, taking the spoon out of his shaved ice and inching it toward hers.

She held it out for him. "Go ahead. Can I have some of yours?"

Nodding, he scooped a bite onto his own spoon and held it up to her mouth. She felt a little ridiculous, but she parted her lips all the same.

"Your turn." She filled her spoon and held it out for Roy.

When they had finished eating, Roy got up to throw their cups away, and then returned to Riza's side with an urgency that surprised her.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Don't look, but that couple under that tree over there—I said don't look!"

Riza couldn't help herself. For Roy to react like this, it could only mean one thing, and her suspicions were confirmed by the ponytail of thick, dark hair. "I think they're a bit too busy to notice us," she said, turning back to Roy.

"They wasted no time," he said.

"I'd say they wasted plenty of time and are just now making up for it," Riza corrected, feeling a smile spread across her face. She wasn't one for quite that degree of public affection—leaning on Roy like this was approaching her limit—but she knew Rebecca would be thrilled to finally get to show off her feelings for Jean. Still, it was starting to make her a little uncomfortable. No matter how close she was to either of them, there were some things she felt were best left to the bedroom.

"Are they trying to see who can get their tongue farther down the other's throat?" Roy asked with a note of amusement in his voice.

Riza wrinkled her nose. "It certainly looks that way."

Roy let go of her again, and he twisted so he could call out to them from behind her back, both hands cupped around his mouth. "Hey, get a room, you two!"

If they heard, they chose to ignore him, continuing to kiss just as passionately as before. Riza could feel Roy fidgeting beside her, though she knew his restlessness stemmed more from jealousy than discomfort. He wished he could pull her into his lap and kiss her with the same fervor Jean was kissing Rebecca. She put a hand on his thigh, squeezed it as an unspoken apology.

"Hey now, don't look like that," Roy said, reaching out to stroke Riza's cheek. "It's not like I love you any less for how reserved you are. It's probably saved my ass more than I care to know."

The ghost of a smile formed on her lips. "Why don't we head home? It's getting dark and I can tell how much you want to kiss me like that."

"Maybe not like that. I don't exactly want to examine your tonsils. I do want to kiss you, though."

"Maybe just a little one," she said. "Before we go."

The sun dipped the rest of the way below the horizon and Roy pressed his lips to Riza's, chaste and gentle and perfect. She leaned her forehead against his, smile widening slightly when he tilted his head into hers, pulling his mouth away, and for a moment, the only things in Riza's world were Roy and his touch and the waves below their dangling feet.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, everyone, but I'm back with some smut!

Morning came with Roy's breath directly on the back of Riza's neck and something tickling her ear. She struggled against the arm wrapped around her waist to roll onto her back. The explanation for her discomfort was immediately obvious. At some point during the night, Roy had taken over half of her pillow, using his own to cover his head. She pushed it away and he groaned and buried his face in her neck.

Riza rolled onto her side, facing him, and kissed his forehead. "Good morning, sunshine," she said dryly.

"Lemme sleep," Roy mumbled.

"It's half past eight," Riza said, already fully awake. "You should at least use your own pillow if you're going to skip breakfast."

"But I like this one. It smells like you and I can use mine to drown out the noise." This time, at least, he buried his face in the pillow instead of her neck. He also let go of her in order to grab his pillow and put it back over his head.

Riza was tempted to push it off again. "So I'm noise now?"

"Not you, _them._ Don't think you're off the hook, though. Why didn't you tell me she's a screamer?" This time, it was Roy who rolled onto his back, and he groaned loudly into the pillow over his face.

Riza draped her arm over his chest and snuggled closer to him. "I didn't think it was something you would care to know."

"You're right about that, but a warning would have been nice. 'By the way, we aren't going to get any sleep tonight because my best friend is secretly a banshee.'" He threw the pillow aside to scowl at her, which only made Riza chuckle.

"If I had known those two would have sex until the early hours of the morning, I would have waited until we got home to set them up." After three years in the dorm with Rebecca snoring, Riza had grown accustomed to falling asleep under less-than-ideal circumstances, but she felt a twinge of pity for Roy. He'd had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was even more disheveled than it usually was in the morning.

"How could you not have known from the way they were trying to eat each other's faces in the middle of the sidewalk last night?" Roy said, but the anger had gone out of his tone, leaving him sounding defeated and every bit as exhausted as he looked.

Riza scooted closer to him and pushed the pillow aside again. "Let me make it up to you," she said. They hadn't dressed after last night's antics, and Roy immediately looked more awake once she rolled on top of him, her breasts sandwiched between them. His lips parted, but he remained silent, nodding instead. She kissed him, slow and sweet, tasting the longing that had somehow built up in him during the long night while Riza had slept soundly after he had satisfied her to the point of exhaustion.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you right now?" he asked when she stopped kissing him, though her face was still almost touching his.

"Do I dare hope it's enough not to ask me to scream in revenge?" Riza asked.

Roy pecked her lips. "So much that I'll do the screaming myself."

"Mmm, you always were a romantic," she said.

"I love you so much I'd rather be with you in the middle of the arctic than here with anyone else," he said into her ear, taking the lobe gently between his lips.

"Much better. Now, why don't you lie back while I—"

There was a knock at the door. "Rise and shine, lovebirds!" Maes's voice was surprisingly chirpy, but Riza supposed that was what happened when one's room wasn't right next to the release of unresolved sexual tension that had been building up for years.

Roy let go of Riza's ear. "God, if he just woke up Jean and Rebecca with that, I won't even be mad at him for interrupting us."

"We'll be down soon!" Riza called. To Roy, she said, "We'll finish this later."

Later still hadn't presented itself after a quick and—to Roy's disappointment—hands-off shower, even though Rebecca and Jean still hadn't come downstairs with everyone else. Riza had to swat his hand away when it crept too far up her thigh.

"So they get to sleep in," he grumbled, folding his arms across his chest.

"Lighten up, Roy," Maes said, taking the empty seat beside him.

Roy forced a smile to replace the pout he had been directing at Riza and turned to face his best friend. "You didn't hear them last night, did you?"

"Gracia bought earplugs for the trip. I didn't hear anything." Maes leaned back to look at Riza, who shrugged. She'd never been fond of earplugs, but if Roy wanted to pick some out when they went to get his soda, she wasn't about to stop him.

"You married a smart woman," Roy said.

Maes seemed to glow at that remark. "Didn't I? And you're about to, isn't that right?" Maes gave Riza a knowing look and she immediately turned her head to look out the window, pretending to be far more interested than she was in the cloudless sky.

"I hate to break it to you, but moving in together doesn't mean we're going to rush into anything else just yet," Roy said.

That made Maes laugh. "The two of you? Rush? How long have you been together now?"

Roy looked down. "Seven years."

"Maes," Riza said gently, "Roy has told you it's not his fault, hasn't he?"

"I know that you'd rather wait until you've graduated to have the wedding, but that doesn't mean he couldn't have proposed by now," Maes said. He gave Roy a stern look and Roy scowled at him.

"This is between me and Riza and she's already said she'd marry me," Roy snapped. Riza put a hand on his shoulder but he shook it off.

Maes sighed. "Then why not make it official? Wouldn't you feel so much better knowing that the ring on her finger would stop men from flirting with her? Surprise her, Roy. Make her feel special."

Before Riza could point out that she was still sitting next to Roy and therefore unlikely to be surprised, Roy said, "I think Riza would shut down any flirting herself."

But she could hear something else in his voice, could tell he was considering what Maes had said after all. She knew the idea of her wearing a ring appealed to him, so she had to fight back a smile when she realized he was trying to take Maes's advice after all. She'd have to double check how many nights they were booked for, but she was fairly certain they would be here for her birthday.

"Let's get something to eat—I'm starving," Jean Havoc's voice startled the three of them from their conversation.

"About time," Roy said. "I'd be starving too after the night you had."

"You're starving after the night we had," Riza said under her breath.

"I know, but you'd have think I'd be full with how much eating I—" Riza placed her hand over his mouth, hoping the heat in her face didn't show. The fact that Roy licked her hand after only a second didn't faze her at all, though. She had expected that.

"And now that that's out in the open, I think we should go get breakfast," she said.

"Thank god," Kain said, reminding Riza that he had been in the room the whole time and making her feel twice as uncomfortable as before.

Rebecca perched on the chair beside Riza's and leaned her elbows on the bar. "If we have to go to some mystery meeting at a resort tonight, why don't we just go there? We can go to that beach and not that tiny one from yesterday."

Everyone seemed to agree, although Roy grumbled on the way back up the stairs. Something about being hungry and far from his bed that Riza couldn't quite hear with Rebecca talking loudly right behind them. He quickly snapped out of his mood once they were behind a closed door again and Riza let him watch her change without reminding him that he'd regret wearing khaki shorts and boxers to the beach.

The resort's beach fit every ideal Riza had for such a thing. The sand felt almost like silk beneath her feet once she removed her sandals, and after the drive and time spent in a restaurant chair waiting for breakfast, she felt restless and led Roy away from the rest of the group to walk the length of the beach.

"Does this feel like a honeymoon yet?" Roy asked, his breath tickling Riza's ear.

"Still hung up on what Maes said this morning, are you? I don't care what this is. I'm just happy we're here." She squeezed his hand, and it seemed like that was enough for Roy.

Once they had finished their walk, they continued a little farther down the beach until they came to a small grove of palm trees. The sand wasn't as fine as it was farther up, but it was quieter here, and they spread their towels so they overlapped. Roy set an alarm on his phone and they stretched out to catch up on their sleep.

Riza woke feeling stiff but serene with Roy's arms around her. The evening sunlight had started to turn the clouds to gold and she stretched out to stop the alarm. They both sat up and returned to where their friends had been to find the spot empty.

"Do you think they already left?" Roy asked.

"They can't have gone far. I still have the keys."

"No, no. To the restaurant."

"Oh. Right. That seems likely." Riza led the way back to the sign they had seen pointing toward the restaurant. They followed the path only to find their friends waiting and looking a slightly disgruntled.

"They wouldn't seat us without a complete party," Rebecca explained. "And when I said your name, they told us there was already a reservation so we figured we'd wait for you."

Nodding slightly, Riza stepped up to the hostess's desk. "Riza Hawkeye, party of six," she said.

The woman looked down at her list. "It says seven here. Did one of your party cancel?"

"No, no, I'm right here." A man with a goatee and a vacation fashion sense as impressively horrible as Roy's had sauntered over from the bar, still holding a martini glass.

The woman seemed confused as to how he was connected to a group of twenty-somethings, but she counted out menus and escorted them to a table near the water all the same. The strange man pulled out a chair for Riza, who noticed that Roy was bristling as he watched, though he sank silently into the chair beside it. The stranger took the one on her other side.

"Who are you?" Riza asked without even glancing at her menu.

"I'm your grandfather," he said, as though this should have been the most obvious fact in the world. "Eugene Grumman."

She eyed him warily. "My grandfather?"

"On your mother's side." It wasn't exactly a helpful clarification.

"Assuming that's the truth, why is this the way you decided to get in touch?" Riza had her arms across her chest and her legs crossed while she sized him up.

Grumman sighed and set his drink on the table. "I recently got in touch with an old friend of mine. Chris told me she was almost starting to feel like an old woman after her nephew and his girlfriend moved out. She said you were more like a son and daughter-in-law than anything. I asked her about you, and when she said your name, Riza, I thought my heart had stopped. I knew you had to be Emily's little girl—she sent the birth announcement from the newspaper—but that was the only contact I had with her after she eloped with your father.

"I thought about calling you, but I didn't know if you'd appreciate that. I thought she might have taught you to hate me before she died, and since I never got in touch with you, I wouldn't have blamed you for not believing who I am."

Riza bit her tongue before she could say he was right about that. After all, if he really knew Christmas, all she had to do was text her to verify that, and it looked like Roy was already way ahead of her. "So, Mr. Grumman, like I said in the first place, why did you get in touch with me by sending all of us on a trip?"

"I hate the northwest. Too foggy for my taste. This is much nicer." Gruman took a sip of his martini. "As for your friends, I thought it might come across as creepy if I just invited you, and it might look like a scam if I only added Roy to the list. I asked Chris to tell me who your closest friends were and this was the list she gave."

Roy held his phone out for Riza to see, and the text on the screen sent relief through her instantly. "Grandfather," she said, "it's nice to meet you." She held out her hand and he shook it.

"So, gramps, are you some kind of billionaire?" Jean asked.

"Jean," Riza said in a warning tone. "I'm sorry. He seems to have taken 'like a brother' to mean 'actually my brother'."

"It's fine, kid," Grumman said. "I'm not a billionaire, but I do have enough money to splurge on the only family I have left." Seeing the questioning look on Jean's face, he added, "I'm a general in the army. It's not exactly minimum wage."

"No, sir!" Jean said. "My apologies."

"No harm done. I see you have a pretty girl of your own. Chris didn't tell me you were involved with anyone, but you must be Rebecca. Is that right, miss?"

"I'm Rebecca, but I'd say he's mine, as of last night." She shot Riza a look that said she wasn't too fond of the long-lost relative sitting beside her. Riza couldn't exactly blame her. For all her talk about wanting to settle down with a nice man, Rebecca wasn't fond of the idea of being seen as a trophy wife. (She was, however, very fond of the idea of being attractive enough to be one—a distinction she had made to Riza at least a dozen times.)

Grumman chuckled. "You've certainly got spirit. You remind me a bit of Emily. Now, Riza, what do you say I buy you and your friends a round of drinks?"

"I have to drive home," she said, "and my birthday isn't for another four days."

"I'm only nineteen," Kain piped up.

"Damn, I knew I got something wrong," he muttered. "Anyone else care for a drink?"

"By all means, please get those two sloshed," Roy said, pointing to Jean and Rebecca. "I'll have a mai tai."

Riza leaned in to whisper in his ear, "You should leave it at that. I'm still looking forward to finishing what we started this morning, and I can't do that unless you're sober by the time we get back."

Roy nodded. "I'll behave myself."

Once all the food and drinks were on the table, and everyone was too distracted by their food for the moment to carry on their conversations, Riza leaned in to Roy again. "Gracia's older than me, isn't she?"

"I think so. Why?"

"She ordered a water," Riza said.

"Maybe she doesn't like alcohol," Roy said.

"No, I remember she had wine at your birthday party."

Roy frowned. "I forgot about that. I only remembered that you did."

Riza shushed him. It wasn't like that was the first time, and she didn't like the way he was focusing on the wrong thing. Maybe when they got home, she could ask. He didn't like keeping secrets from her, but he was certainly better at it than Maes was. Of course, as soon as she guessed one of them, he could never keep the answer out of his face when she asked. Maybe that wasn't fair, but he could read her just as well, so she didn't let it bother her conscience as she dug into her meal, listening as her grandfather started talking about when her mother was this age.

"And don't you think of eloping," he told her, pointing at her face for emphasis. "I won't try and scare your boyfriend off. He's not some scoundrel like your father was. If Chris raised him, I know he's a fine man. But you'd better make an honest woman out of her before too long." This time he pointed at Roy, who nearly choked on his ribs.

"D-don't worry, Mr. Grumman, sir. I've been planning on marrying her since we were still kids. She just told me we'd have to wait until after college graduation."

"I'm proud of you," Grumman said, raising his glass in a toast.

Riza looked at him, wondering how many drinks he'd had before they had arrived. "Is this where you're staying?"

"Don't worry, you can visit any time. I might even pop in on you at some point. I even have a driver." He downed the drink and set the empty glass aside.

The rest of the meal passed quickly, with increasingly dirty jokes exchanged between a drunk Jean and a slightly tipsy Roy, who kept squeezing Riza's leg under the table. Rebecca had joined in on the jokes by the time Grumman paid the bill, and Riza was relieved to be heading home. With help from Kain, Gracia, and an almost-sober Roy, they managed to get everyone safely into the car.

Getting them out was much more difficult. Rebecca and Jean had both fallen asleep. Roy took a great deal of pleasure in waking them, despite the glares they gave in response. He took less pleasure in waking Kain, who was curled up on the seat beside Jean.

"Think they're sober enough to keep us up again?" Roy asked Riza once they were safely back in their room.

"Even if they are, I doubt they can stay awake. They're exhausted."

"Miracles do happen," he said, unbuttoning his shirt. "You're my favorite."

Riza kissed him, trying not to roll her eyes. "Just take my dress off already."

"I've been waiting to hear that all day." He did as she asked, placing his hands on her hips after. She hopped up, placing her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around him. They were still kissing as he pushed her against the wall, apparently too tired to hold her up but not yet ready to get in bed.

Riza felt something jabbing into her ass and tried to adjust her position slightly. It was only when the room went dark that she made the connection and she had to pull away from the kiss to laugh. Roy backed away from the wall and lowered her to the floor, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You know, this gave me an idea."

"What kind of idea?" Riza asked.

"Revenge."

Riza shook her head slightly while Roy undressed. "You know it's their bathroom on the other side of that wall, not their bedroom, don't you?"

"If we could hear screams that loud, I'm sure they'll hear us fucking against the wall," Roy said.

Still a little unsure, she hesitated to remove her swimsuit. "Before we get started, there's something I have to ask."

"Anything for you," he said.

"In general or because you want to get laid tonight?" she teased.

"You know I can't keep anything from you," Roy said.

"Not for long, anyway. Which is why I'm asking. Is Gracia pregnant?"

She saw the answer in his eyes before he hung his head and said, "Yes, but you're not supposed to know about it. _I'm_ not supposed to know about it, but unlike Maes, I can keep a secret from everyone but you."

"So if I were pregnant…" she mused.

"I wouldn't tell a soul unless you wanted me to."

"Good."

"You aren't, are you?" he asked, then shook his head as if he couldn't believe he'd asked such a ridiculous question. Of course she would have told him already if she were pregnant.

Riza shook her head as well. "I was just asking because I noticed that Gracia refused alcohol at dinner."

"Now that you're probably completed turned off, do you want to try again?" Roy asked.

"I'm not _completely_ turned off." She ran her hands down his chest, hooking her fingers on the waist of his pants. "Though I think we're both overdressed for anything you might have in mind."

Roy put a hand at the back of her head and pulled her in for a rough kiss. "I'll say we are," he said, pulling back just long enough to speak before kissing her again. This time, he moved his other hand around to her belly, slipped it down into the bottom of her swimsuit, and began stroking her just as frantically as he was kissing her. After a long day of frustration, between being interrupted and watching intently as he slathered his chest not with sunscreen but with tanning lotion, only to ask her to do his back, she was grateful he was being so direct. He bit her bottom lip, tugged at it gently, and she whimpered slightly, relying on her arms around his neck to support her as her legs began to feel weak with the ministrations of his hand between them.

She could feel him grin as he continued the kissing and the teasing. Thankfully, the hand that wasn't making her knees buckle had traveled to the small of her back, helping keep her on her feet as she came with a noise far louder than her whimpers. He pulled away from the kiss to take in her expression. His own looked remarkably self-satisfied, but she supposed he had earned the right to look that way. Years of practice meant he could make her melt almost on command.

"Let me get this out of the way," he said, giving the waistband of her swimsuit a gentle tug. They made quick work of each other's remaining clothes and Roy opened a condom while Riza sank onto the bed to rest for a moment. "Don't go to sleep on me now," he teased when he noticed she had sprawled out on top of the covers.

"I won't," she promised, swinging her legs so they hung over the edge.

He knelt between them. "Want me to wake you up a little?"

"Mmm, I think you'd better," she said. She wasn't particularly sleepy, but she knew Roy wanted to make up for what she had missed earlier, and when he began to kiss her, she wasn't about to stop him. He teased her first, taking things more slowly than he had while they were standing up. His tongue circled her opening for a moment then took lazy flicks up just barely out of reach of her clit before returning to slip just barely inside her.

Finally, finally, his tongue reached her clit, and she arched her back, feeling her climax building again. Just before she was about to get her release, his tongue retreated, replaced by his lips as he kissed her gently, mouth roaming onto the very tops of her thighs, down to her opening—everywhere but exactly where she wanted him. She had balled her hands into fists around crumpled sections of the blanket almost involuntarily, and now she moved them to his hair, tempted to tug him up just a little higher until—there he was. First a chaste kiss, and then his tongue was back, sending her over the edge in an instant, though he kept it up until the last shuddering pulse of her orgasm had ended.

He stood, leaned over her to give her a kiss on the lips, and to wrap his arms around her, holding her close in a surprisingly tender way compared to what she knew they were about to do. She put her arms around him as well, and he lifted her up to sit on the edge of the bed. Once he was standing, he didn't break the embrace; he used one hand to replace the lube that had dried, then to guide himself into her. She wrapped her legs around him and he carried her over to the wall, kissing her again as he pushed her against it. His thrusts were quick and short, rough as his initial kiss, to keep them from losing this position. With each thrust, he gave a louder moan, until Riza joined in with her quieter ones. She could feel his arms tremble, could feel him pushing deeper inside her, as he neared his end, and moments later, he came with the promised scream: a wordless shout that wasn't nearly as high pitched as the ones that had kept them up, but was almost certainly louder.

From the other side of the wall, they heard a slam. "Shut the fuck up, you two!" Jean shouted.

Laughing, Roy sank to his knees, still holding Riza. He allowed himself to slip out of her, and they cuddled there for a moment, both grinning. "Serves you right," Roy called back weakly after Jean had almost certainly gone back to bed. After a quick shower to clean themselves off, Roy and Riza settled into bed, holding each other tight as they fell asleep to a night far more peaceful than the last.


	12. Chapter 12

It was a rare morning that Roy woke before Riza, but as he felt her deep, even breaths against the arm he had wrapped around her, he knew she was still fast asleep. It was early, but even after the sleepless night he had had before this one, he was restless enough to gently peel himself away from Riza and slip quietly out of bed rather than risk waking her as he struggled to fall back asleep. He put on a clean pair of boxers and went out onto the balcony to stare out at the water, still grey in the early morning light from the sun before it rose above the mountains.

He leaned on the railing; the sea air and the sounds of the waves didn't make him as sleepy as he would have hoped. With a sigh, he went back into the room to dress properly, giving one last look at Riza—now hugging the covers to her in Roy's absence but still very much asleep—before heading downstairs. The smell of freshly brewed coffee surprised him, but as soon as he reached the kitchen, he realized he shouldn't have been surprised at all. Maes took a second mug from the cupboard when he noticed Roy.

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

Roy shook his head. "Just couldn't go back to sleep," he said, accepting a mug and holding it tight.

"It's more than that," Maes prodded. "Riza's not the only one who can read you, even if she is the best at it."

He was right, of course, but Roy wasn't about to start talking until he had at least some coffee in him, so he took a long, scorching sip before saying, "She figured it out, Maes."

"Riza?" When Roy nodded, Maes continued, still somewhat puzzled, "What did she figure out?"

"About Gracia." Roy wasn't willing to admit that he'd confessed it to her, but it was at least partway true. "Said it was funny she didn't order a drink with dinner last night."

Maes grinned. "Lots of people refuse drinks. Maybe she's got something to tell you herself."

"No, no, that's definitely not it. She's very smart, you know. And besides that, we've been careful. Hell, I'm not even sure she'll say yes when I propose even if I told her upfront I'm anticipating a year-long engagement. There's no way we're ready for a baby." Roy downed another painful gulp of coffee.

"So you're still going to go through with that?" Maes said. "It's about time you did. Are you sure she hasn't found the ring?"

Roy nodded. "It's under a crumpled tissue in one of the pockets of my suitcase. She'd have thrown it out before finding the ring."

"How romantic," Maes said. "I can't see why she hasn't agreed to marry you already."

"I said crumpled, not used," Roy grumbled.

"And cheerful, too."

"I haven't finished my coffee yet." Roy drained the last of it and slammed his mug on the counter, knowing perfectly well it didn't help his case when it came to looking cheerful. To his relief, however, the one thing that could improve his mood happened before Maes could say anything. He saw Riza coming down the stairs. He jumped up to make another pot of coffee and she settled into a seat one away from Maes, looking positively radiant even if she wasn't completely awake yet.

He leaned over the bar to give her a quick kiss. "Morning," he said.

"Morning."

"There it is," Maes said, watching them with amusement and a very smug grin.

"There what is?" Riza asked.

"I don't think coffee is Roy's coffee," Maes said, waggling his eyebrows at her.

"Coffee helps, too," Roy said, pouring some into a mug for Riza.

Riza nodded solemnly and took the mug. "You should've seen him when our coffeemaker broke. Nothing I did could help, short of running to the store in my pajamas to get a new one."

"And she tried _everything,_ " Roy said, earning him a subtle frown from Riza. For all her willingness to annoy Rebecca and Jean the night before, he'd almost forgotten how much she hated references to their sex life. He felt a twinge of guilt over talking about babies with Maes. This hadn't been the first time they'd discussed it. Back when Gracia had first gotten pregnant, Maes had joked that Roy and Riza should try for a baby, too, so their kids would be the same age and could be a second generation of best friends. He'd never mentioned that to Riza, lest he and Maes both receive an earful, but he had a feeling she could see it in his face now because her expression had turned even sourer.

The coffee softened her face somewhat, and when she had finished, she said, "I was thinking about going with Rebecca today, if that's alright with you."

"Sure it is!" Roy said. "Gracia won't mind, will she?"

"Of course not," Maes said enthusiastically. "It's been a while since we've hit the town together."

"Sounds like a perfect plan," Roy said, grinning over at Maes.

"Great," Riza said, moving away from the counter. "I'll see you later then."

"I love you," Roy said.

"Love you, too." And with that, she disappeared up the stairs again, likely to wake Rebecca. If it was anyone but Riza planning to do something so dangerous, he might have started the funeral arrangements already.

Turning to Maes, he said, "How is Gracia?"

Maes gave a half-shrug. "She's feeling a little tired today. I told her to go back to bed, and she'll probably just want to sit out back and read once she wakes up."

"Perfect. Does this mean we finally get to try bodyboarding?" Roy asked.

"Better to ask for forgiveness than for a preemptive lecture on how dangerous it is," Maes agreed.

* * *

 

"Why don't we do this more often?" Rebecca said once she and Riza had sat down to brunch in a seaside restaurant.

Riza stared at her over a glass of orange juice. "Because you never get up in time."

"Fair enough." Rebecca took a long drink from her own glass and wiped her mouth. "I've missed you this summer. I can't even remember the last one we spent apart."

"We were very little then, weren't we?" Riza said, smiling at the memories of carefree days with her best friend and at the hope that there would be many more to come.

Rebecca grinned. "I still remember that time in kindergarten when Jean tried to kiss you and you punched him in the face."

"Remember the look on my mom's face when she came into the office that day?" Riza asked.

"I think so. Was I really sent to the office too?"

"I believe you kicked Roy for asking if he could try next."

"That's right. Sometimes I wish I'd kicked him harder and _higher_ but I guess he makes you happy for some reason, so I try to remind myself of that." Rebecca gave a tiny, wistful sigh.

Riza was feeling wistful herself, thinking of the shock and then the laughter on her mother's face. Apparently the principal hadn't told her why Riza had punched one of her classmates, only that she had. She'd had the day off work and told the principal she'd take Riza home and talk to her there. Riza had been delighted to learn that, by home, her mother had meant out for ice cream. Looking back, it was a shame Rebecca and Roy had never been able to get along even though she and Jean had repaired their friendship by the end of the month, thanks to Jean having learned not to touch anyone without her permission, least of all Riza Hawkeye.

And then, for a moment, the noisy restaurant faded. The voices dulled and the clattering of plates turned to a steady beep in her mind: a sound from her memory that always turned her blood to ice. She and Rebecca stood side by side in a hospital room, looking as much like sisters as they felt with their matching braids and shoes and feeling oh so grown up at the age of six. Rebecca had taken Riza's hand the moment she noticed it was shaking, and for once, Roy, who hung back sheepishly in the corner of the room, didn't say a word. At so young an age, his silence had been hard for Riza to understand. She had brought her two best—and loudest—friends to keep her company, to keep this room from feeling like a graveyard prematurely.

She had dabbed at her eyes with the end of her braid, not wanting to cry in front of him, but it was so hard not to when her mother looked like a skeleton already. Her mother made some joke about having been in this room a thousand times already, and how she just had to stay in it a little longer this time now that she was the patient instead of the nurse. But Riza had known deep down that she was trying to reassure them both that she would be fine, and that, yes, she would make Riza that birthday cake with the lady knight fighting the dragon to save the handsome prince. (Whom she had described as dark haired, dark-eyed, and definitely _not_ Roy Mustang—where'd you get that idea, mom?)

But Riza's birthday had been spent with Rebecca and Mrs. Catalina, shopping for black dresses, and she had come home to an empty house with her father still at work. It had been Roy who found her on the porch, hunched over her scabbed knees and sobbing in the way she hadn't let herself at the hospital. He had sat beside her and held out a plate of brownies because he didn't know how to frost a cake without Christmas's help and she had told him there wouldn't be time for one to cook and cool before she had to leave. According to Roy, as soon as the brownies had come out of the oven, it had been entirely up to him to help Riza's birthday not suck.

They had eaten the brownies on the porch and he had told her that it was okay to cry, because sometimes he still cried when he saw pictures of his parents, and that he was sorry Riza's mom had died because she was so nice and always smelled like antiseptic and strawberries. And then she started to think that, while she definitely didn't want to kiss him, she might want a hug from someone other than Rebecca, and he had obliged.

"Riza? Riza, are you okay?" Rebecca's voice snapped her from the sticky July evening in an instant, though her heart still felt as heavy as it had that day.

"I'm fine, just a little lost in memories right now. I don't think I ever thanked you back then, did I?" Riza asked.

"Back when?" Rebecca said.

"The first summer when we were friends. You went to the hospital with me every day. I—I don't think I could have gotten through that without you."

Rebecca reached across the table to pat Riza's hand. "That's what friends are for. I know you'd have done the same for me. I promise we'll do this kind of thing regularly once I'm back for school. As much as I adore Jean, I'd never shut you out just because I'm finally with him."

"I'd like that," Riza said, smiling. "It doesn't even have to be brunch. I think I've still got a few more years of midnight bowling left in me."

"You've got an apartment, too. You should kick Roy out for a night every now and again so we can watch our period romances on a real TV for a change. Get some wine and paint our nails. It'll be like our old sleepovers."

"Funny, I don't remember having wine at a sleepover before," Riza said.

"Grown-up sleepovers then," Rebecca said. "We make a nest in your living room so if you feel bad about kicking Roy to the curb all night, he can keep the bed."

Riza laughed, feeling much more at ease just having Rebecca here and keeping her in the present. "I'm surprised you've accepted that I live with him now instead of suggesting he take your dorm for the night."

"He helps pay the rent," Rebecca said with an innocent shrug. "And he'll suffer more knowing we're cuddling downstairs and he's not allowed to join in."

Somehow, Riza didn't think he would be all that upset, but Rebecca's enthusiasm had worn off on her and she smiled as she shook her head.

* * *

 

It wasn't until early afternoon that Roy realized he'd forgotten to reapply his sunscreen, but by that point, he wasn't sure if the pain he felt all over his skin was from the sun or the sand. He and Maes sat next to each other on the beach, their rented boards at their feet. The only solace he found was in knowing that he looked enough like hell that he was certain Riza would take pity on him.

"I guess it's safe to say we're shit at this, huh?" he said.

"I'm surprised the water isn't coming out your ears after that last run," Maes said.

Roy tried to brush sand from his chest but the skin was still too raw to touch. "Nope. Just every other hole in my head. I feel like someone shoved a lit match in my sinuses. How are you holding up?"

"I'm going to have to tell Gracia about this, so how do you think? She'll be happy I'm alive, but I'm not so sure she'll be pleased to learn this child is going to be our only child," he said miserably.

"Relax, you'll be fine again in no time. At least you'll still be able to cuddle with her until you are. I think I'm going to have to sleep sitting up, and how am I supposed to propose to Riza looking like a lobster?" Roy asked, gesturing to his bright red chest for emphasis.

"We'll get some aloe vera on the way back. She'll never even know," Maes assured him.

"She won't, will she?" Roy said. "Were you planning on rubbing it on my back?"

"Look, Roy, I love you, but not like that. You're on your own there."

They both looked back out at the waves, watching the much more skilled body boarders with envy as they dreaded their less-than-triumphant return. Roy dreaded the shower in particular, but there was no way in hell he'd ask Riza for a sponge bath. Even though he knew she wouldn't say a word, he'd feel "I told you so" in every stroke of the washcloth. He felt another twinge of guilt when he realized she was out on a day of pampering with Rebecca, and she'd come home with shining hair and skin only to find a hardboiled boyfriend in her bed.

"Before we get that aloe, let's stop at a bar. I could use a drink or three," Roy said.

Maes nodded in agreement, and after they returned their boards, they walked up the street looking, Roy imagined, like Hayate when he'd shredded Roy's slippers on the first night in the new apartment. With shame radiating off of them, it was no wonder they attracted ill fortune as well: Rebecca and Riza, looking as radiant as he'd imagined, were headed home. He watched helplessly as Rebecca nudged Riza and pointed toward him and Maes. Riza turned to Rebecca for a moment before running toward Roy.

"Are you alright?" she asked, stopping just short of his arms. Even from that far away she'd known better than to run into them. He had become her own personal stop sign.

He scratched the back of his neck, winced as he remembered it was also burned, and said, "I was an idiot."

"Did you have fun?" she asked, and he was happy to find there was nothing sarcastic in her tone even after a day with Rebecca.

"I did until this happened."

She looked him over, shaking her head sympathetically. "That's not the healthiest way to get a tan. Come on—let's get you cleaned up so I can put some aloe on you." Behind her, Maes was wiggling his eyebrows and Roy scowled at him.

Riza almost put her arm around his waist until she looked at just how red the skin was and wrapped her arm around his hips instead. It was a little awkward for her, but he appreciated the gesture all the same. He hugged her back, grateful that his arms, at least, had escaped the worst of the sunburn. He'd wait to tell her the whole story until Rebecca was busy with Jean. He didn't need to hear her crowing over his bad decisions or Riza sticking up for him. It was bad enough that Rebecca was already giving him a withering look.

"I guess we'll get those drinks after Riza takes care of you," Maes said. "If you're still up for it."

"I will be," he said.

"Make sure you drink plenty of water before you go," Riza told him. "With a sunburn like that, you'll make yourself sick if you don't."

Feeling sheepish, Roy realized he hadn't had anything to drink since breakfast. It was fortunate he had Riza to remind him of that before he ended up woozy, blistered, and hungover. "You're right. Let's head back."

"I wonder if Gracia's feeling better," Maes said. "I bet she missed me as much as I missed her."

Roy nodded automatically, glancing over at Riza to see she wasn't even looking at him for a shared eye roll. Rebecca had a finger in her mouth, pretending to gag, and for once, Roy found himself sympathizing with her. Riza looked back at him then, still smiling from Rebecca's reaction, and he leaned over to kiss the top of her head. He could hardly even remember a time when he'd been without her, and even after all these years, there was no one else he would rather have at his side.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so, so sorry for the wait! I hope the smut makes up for it! Thank you so much for the comments.

There was something to be said for the sight of Roy bustling into a room bare-chested and carrying a heaping breakfast tray. Riza couldn't have imagined a better start to her birthday. She straightened her nightgown and propped herself up against her pillows, eyeing Roy appreciatively all the while. When he placed the tray over her lap, he kissed her forehead. "Happy birthday, Riza," he said.

"Thanks for breakfast. It looks wonderful." She gazed up at him through her eyelashes and he cracked up.

"Save the seduction until you've had your coffee," he said, giving her shoulder a playful nudge before turning to head around to his side of the bed.

Riza dug into her pancakes between sips of coffee, effortlessly destroying Roy's carefully constructed whipped cream hearts. The bed shifted when Roy climbed into it, but she managed to keep her tray steady, taking particular concern with the champagne flute in the corner. As she ate, Roy pressed his lips to her neck, sucking and nipping and kissing his way between her jaw and collarbone.

"Hungry, are you?" she teased, setting her fork aside to give his thigh an affectionate squeeze. "Do you want to eat something?"

Roy looked up from kissing her, his lips twitching slightly. "I thought you'd never ask."

She started to hold out a forkful of pancake but he held up his hand.

"Are you wearing anything under that?" he asked, gesturing to her nightgown.

Riza shook her head, smiling around the bite she had just put in her mouth. She finished her coffee and the pancakes quickly while Roy reached under the tray to run his hands over her thighs, letting his fingertips reach almost to the top but not quite. It was maddening. Even more maddening, Roy crawled over to kneel between her legs. With hands trembling slightly, Riza set the champagne flute on her nightstand and moved the tray to the side of the bed that Roy no longer occupied. She shifted slightly to remove her nightgown, flinging it over Roy's head and onto the floor.

His hands came to rest on her hips and he settled himself properly between her legs at last. As he pressed his lips to the inside of her thigh just above her knee, Riza took the mimosa from the nightstand and sipped it cautiously. Light and fruity, it was exactly what she needed and she settled into the pillows, watching as Roy kissed his way up her leg. Teasing her. He stopped to nuzzle it gently and his hair tickled the sensitive areas between her legs until she had to stifle a giggle at the sensation with another sip of mimosa. As if sensing her reaction, Roy looked up, his eyes glinting. He was so irresistibly cocky that she tangled the fingers of her free hand in his hair and guided his head gently back down. She was of the opinion that he had to prove himself before he looked at her that way.

Roy left a trail of excruciatingly gentle closed-mouth kisses along her slit. His fingers gripped her tighter, digging into her hips and anchoring him against her as his lips parted to kiss her more roughly. Small noises of pleasure built in Riza's throat and she swallowed them down with another sip of her drink. As frustrating as it was, she wanted Roy to continue teasing her, not to spur him into eliciting louder moans.

He paused, pursed his lips together, and continued kissing up toward her navel, his lips barely touching her skin. Riza's stomach fluttered pleasantly under Roy's kisses, distracting her for a moment from the parts of her that ached for him. Roy sat up abruptly, drawing a small whine of protest from Riza. He flexed his hands against her hips and buried his face in her neck, covering it with sloppy kisses that increased in tempo with her pulse.

Riza gulped down the rest of her drink and placed the glass on the nightstand. Without the risk of spilling, she sank into the bed and Roy crawled backwards to allow her to lie down comfortably, moving his hands from her hips to the mattress so he could support himself. He pulled away from kissing the hollow of her throat to look at her, his eyes brimming with affection.

"Kiss me," she said, cupping his face in her hands and drawing it toward her own.

He did as she asked, smiling against her half-open mouth before she forced his own lips apart. As he moaned into her mouth, Roy lowered himself until his body was pressed against hers. The comforting weight had Riza wrapping her legs around his out of instinct and habit, and the action drew another low, appreciative moan from Roy. His tongue brushed hers and one of his hands slipped between them to trace the rim of her opening ever so lightly and she squirmed in delight at the sensation.

She didn't have long to enjoy it, however, as his hand moved up to stroke the side of her breast instead. It was enough to make her want to scream in frustration, but she settled for tugging at his hair instead.

Laughing, Roy pulled back from the kiss. "Frustrated yet?"

" _Very_."

He looked absolutely giddy at her response. Ass. He loved winding her up far too much. And she loved it far more than she would have expected herself to.

"I know that look," he said, giving her one last, quick kiss on the lips. "'Get between my legs right now or else.'"

This time, Roy didn't hold back at all. He must not have shaved yet, as she could feel the stubble on the end of his chin now, rubbing against the inside of her thigh as he tilted his head to suck on her lips. After a few seconds, he pulled back, straightened his head, and spread her lips apart with his tongue. He stopped just short of her clit, and Riza let out a strangled noise of frustration as he slipped a finger inside her then added a second. The tip of his tongue just barely brushed against her clit on the second stroke and she melted into the bed.

Riza squeezed her eyes shut tight and grasped at the sheets, twisting her fingers around the first rumples they found. Her hips bucked up, drawing Roy's mouth closer and his fingers deeper inside her. At last, he began to focus on her clit: first sucking on it and then flicking it with his tongue in short, sharp motions until she let out a gasp and began to pulse around his fingers. Roy resumed the slow, flat-tongued strokes up the length of her slit, always lingering on her clit, until Riza's hips returned to the bed and her orgasm faded. She was still breathing hard while he moved the tray to the floor and lay down beside her to play with a strand of her hair that had spilled over onto his pillow.

"You're so beautiful," he said, and she turned to see that he was looking at her with something like reverence. "I almost wish we could just stay like this all day." He let go of her hair and reached out to wrap his arm around her stomach, pulling her closer to him.

"Me too." She sighed contentedly. Snuggling closer to him, she shut her eyes again.

Of course, such a wish was impossible with Rebecca in the house. After only a few moments of cuddling, they were interrupted by someone seemingly attempting to break down the door. "Hey, lovebirds!" Rebecca's voice called from the other side of the door. "If you're done fucking, I need to borrow Riza for a bit."

Riza sighed again, this time in mild exasperation. "I should go," she said, caressing Roy's back one last time.

"You should. Before Rebecca barges in here." In spite of his words, he did not let go of Riza.

"She wouldn't," Riza said. "Not at the risk of seeing you naked."

"And what about seeing you?"

Riza shrugged as best she could while lying in Roy's arms. "We lived together for three years. We used to have gym together. It wouldn't be anything new. Now, I need to shower before I find out what she wants. Care to join me?"

"I'd love to."

They got out of bed and managed to shower in a surprisingly short amount of time in spite of Roy's insistence on playing with her breasts under the guise of washing them. Rebecca was still waiting outside their bedroom door once they were dressed. Roy jumped back in alarm but Riza managed to stay still; her only reaction was to give a small smile when Rebecca cracked up.

"Come on, Riza, we've got a big day ahead of us!" Rebecca said, grabbing Riza's hands and pulling her toward the stairs.

She looked back over her shoulder to see Roy standing in the doorway. "I love you!" he called, waving goodbye.

"What's with him?" Rebecca grumbled. "We're just getting manicures, and maybe going shopping after."

Riza shrugged. "I think he's just feeling romantic."

"She has no idea, does she?" Jean said, slapping Roy on the back.

Roy winced slightly at the unexpected blow. "None whatsoever. I'd have thought for sure she'd know something was up when Rebecca mentioned her plan but she didn't seem to suspect a thing."

"Are you nervous?" Kain asked.

"Why should I be?" Roy grinned and looked past Kain at the waves breaking along the shore. "She's going to say yes."

Heymans broke the silence that followed by shuffling a deck of cards. "Uno, anyone?"

It wasn't like they had anything better to do. Roy's sunburn was still raw enough that he had no desire to spend the day at the beach, and with Riza gone and Maes out on a date with Gracia, the rest of his friends had taken pity on him and decided to stay at the house with him.

Jean lit a cigarette and examined his cards with an expressionless face. "If you try any of that 'draw four' shit, I'll kick your ass, Roy."

"I'd like to see you try." Roy fanned his cards out. Red draw two, wild draw four, and yellow skip stood out immediately. Shit. He hoped that someone would play a reverse. There was no way Kain would start anything.

Of course, when his turn came, it just had to be another wild draw four that came out of the deck. He tried to keep a straight face and took a picture of his hand to send to Riza ("Jean's gonna kill me" with a sweating emoji at the end).

"That's not suspicious at all," Heymans said.

Jean glanced over at Roy. "You're sweating."

"It's hot out here and I have a sunburn," Roy snapped. He played one of his few safe cards, grateful that Kain had changed the color to one he held.

"I think it's because Riza's not here to save you." Jean took a long drag on his cigarette and blew a smoke ring in Roy's direction.

Roy pouted. "At least I'll have the upper hand because I'm breathing the sea air and not concentrated lung cancer."

Jean slammed a card down on the pile without taking his eyes off of Roy. "We'll see about that."

It was Kain who saved the day. When it was his turn again, he laid down a reverse card. "There, now no one has to fight," he said.

"I was going to make popcorn and everything," Heymans said, looking disappointed.

"This isn't over," Jean said.

"I never said it was." Roy folded his arms across his chest.

Heymans leaned back and cracked his knuckles. "So, Kain, who's your money on?"

"I don't know. The cigarettes may be a disadvantage in the long term but nicotine is a stimulant, so he'll have more energy while he's smoking."

"Trick question," Heymans said. "The correct answer is neither of them."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jean demanded.

"It means that when your girlfriends get back, they'll be furious, especially if they have to break up the fight themselves because obviously Kain and I have no intention of stopping it. I'm willing to bet that the moratorium on sex will mean you both lose." Heymans placed his cards face down on the table and folded his arms across his chest as Roy and Jean looked at each other in horror.

"He's right," Jean said. "They'd kick both of our asses to the couch."

"Sorry, Kain," Roy said, playing the first of his wild draw four cards.

"It's okay, Roy. I don't need to fight you over it or anything." Kain shot Jean a pointed look.

Jean ignored him. "I still think I could beat you in a fight, Roy. But the real question is who would win out of Riza and Rebecca."

"That's easy," Roy said. "It would be Riza."

"No way. Rebecca's a concentrated ball of anger. Riza wouldn't stand a chance."

Roy slammed his cards down. "My girlfriend could kick your girlfriend's ass."

Across the table, Heymans turned to Kain. "Maybe I should make that popcorn after all."

Riza examined her hands with an almost scientific fascination. She had always kept her nails trimmed out of practicality, but even after she had refused the fake nails Rebecca had tried to pressure her into, they looked so much neater than they ever had with pink tips and a coat of clear polish over the rest. The strangest part, however, was how soft her hands felt. She was looking forward to Roy's reaction the next time she touched him.

As they left the salon, Riza checked her phone. "Looks like we might need to hurry back," she said, showing Roy's distressed message to Rebecca.

"I'm sure he deserved it," Rebecca said.

Deciding to ignore that, Riza sent a reply to Roy that she was on the way back. A call came through as soon as she finished. "Hello?" she said.

"Riza! It's me, your favorite grandfather. There's a resort not far from your hotel and I thought I'd treat you and your friends to a nice dinner tonight around six. What do you say?"

"That's very kind of you. I guess we'll see you at six," Riza said. When Rebecca gave her a questioning look after the call ended, Riza added, "Grandpa Grumman."

"Another free dinner?" Rebecca said, narrowing her eyes. "You sure this guy doesn't want something?"

Riza shrugged. "He's an old man who just found out he still has family. He probably just doesn't know how to make friends without buying them."

That seemed to satisfy Rebecca, who resumed her usual demeanor. "Shame Jean's not the one with all that cash."

Laughing, Riza shook her head. "I guess you can't have everything."

Rebecca laughed, too. "There's no use complaining about it now. I finally got him, so I'm not about to let him go over something like this." She put her elbow on Riza's shoulder. "Want me to help you pick an outfit for tonight? It should be something special."

"It's just a birthday dinner," Riza said, but she regretted it when Rebecca's face fell. It was her twenty-first birthday, and of course Rebecca, of all people, would want to make a big deal out of that. Especially now that they weren't going to be seeing as much of each other. "I'm sorry. Of course you can help. I miss living with you, and it's been nice spending this week sharing a house, even if you're next door instead of across the room."

And then Rebecca was hugging her tight even though they were standing in the middle of the sidewalk. "I miss you, too. I'm gonna come over every chance I get, and if Roy's ever an ass, you can come stay with me, okay?"

Feeling a little dazed by the sudden outburst, Riza hugged Rebecca back. "Thank you. I'll even convince Roy not to be so hard on you, as long as you promise not to go out of your way to pick fights."

"I reserve my right as your Official Best Friend to call him out any time he upsets you. Hell, anyone who ever makes you cry will have to answer to me." Rebecca hugged her tighter and pulled away to look at Riza with fierce determination.

Riza decided not to mention the times she had cried over Rebecca, and instead gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. "That means a lot."

Back at the house, Riza was relieved to find both Jean and Roy in one piece. They were sitting out back with Kain and Heymans, talking and laughing until they noticed Riza and Rebecca had joined them.

"It's good to see you're getting along again," Riza said, putting a hand on Jean's and Roy's shoulders as she stood between them. She bent down to kiss Roy on the cheek while Rebecca settled into Jean's lap.

Roy took one look at them and pulled Riza into his own, clasping his hands just below her navel. For once, she didn't mind that they weren't alone when he did this; they were among friends, after all, and Roy's arms had always been a comfort to her, even when they had just been friends.

"Deal another hand, Heymans," Jean said.

"Won't it be cheating if you and Roy can see Rebecca's and Riza's cards?" Heymans said as he thumbed the deck.

"We won't peek," Roy promised.

After a few hands, Maes and Gracia arrived. Heymans gathered the cards that were strewn across the table while. Maes took the empty seat beside Roy and pulled Gracia into his lap.

Heymans tucked the deck in his pocket. "This is just uncomfortable now," he grumbled, looking at the row of happy couples across from him. Rebecca blew him a kiss and Riza looked down at the table. She was starting to feel a little uncomfortable herself.

"Riza and I have to go get ready for dinner," Rebecca announced. "We're meeting Grumman for dinner at that resort up the road."

"I know he's loaded, but isn't he a bit too old for you, Bec?" Jean said.

"Don't be gross. _All of us_ are meeting Grumman for dinner in honor of Riza's birthday," Rebecca amended, giving his leg a sharp poke. "I just told Riza I'd help her get ready. You should all get cleaned up yourselves." She got to her feet and led Riza upstairs.

To Riza's surprise, Rebecca marched straight down the hall to her own room rather than stopping at Riza's. Rebecca went to the closet, snatched a dress from its hanger, and presented it to Riza. It was the same color as the tips of her nails and incredibly soft.

"This is what you had in mind?" Riza asked.

"It's perfect for you," Rebecca said. "Now put it on so I can do your hair."

Riza excused herself to the bathroom and changed into the dress. It did look amazing, and it fit incredibly well, even if it was a little shorter than anything she would have picked for herself. "You can come in," she called.

Rebecca opened the door and looked at her appraisingly. "You're so beautiful, Riza. I bet Roy passes out when he sees you."

She brushed Riza's hair and began twisting it into a loose fishtail braid. "I missed playing with your hair. It's so easy to style and the humidity doesn't affect it at all."

"Easy to style until you try to curl it, you mean," Riza said. "I think your hair looks nice."

"Thanks," Rebecca said. She finished the braid and stood back to admire her handiwork. "There you go. Now you can go show off."

"You know, now that I think about it, I don't think you've ever offered to help me get ready for something like this. Is there something you're not telling me?" Riza asked.

Rebecca frowned. "It's your twenty-first birthday. That's a pretty special occasion."

"Maybe I'll see if Roy knows," Riza said, turning to face Rebecca when her reflection faltered.

"Or you could just let it go and learn to enjoy a surprise," Rebecca said.

Riza took a step toward the door.

"Wait, I'll give you a hint!" Rebecca said, holding out an arm to stop her. "It's got something to do with one of your presents. Happy now?"

Riza still wasn't completely satisfied, but she had a feeling Roy would be just as irritated if she tried to ruin the surprise. She went back downstairs to give Rebecca a chance to change and found Roy fiddling with a tie. "Need some help with that?" she asked.

"I'm good, thanks." He looked up as he finished with his tie and his eyes went wide. "You look gorgeous, Riza." Closing the distance between them, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her gently on the lips.

"And you look handsome." She kissed him again, running her hands up and down his back.

Roy seemed to melt into her touch. "I don't recognize that dress. Did you borrow it from Rebecca?"

"I did."

"It suits you. Although, I can't wait to take it off when we get back tonight." He bowed his head to press a few soft kisses to her neck.

Riza struggled to hold herself together. "I'll make sure to stick to just one drink, then," she said. "I'd hate to miss whatever it is you have planned for me after dinner."

They walked to dinner with their arms around each other; Riza rested her head on Roy's shoulder and he gave her a gentle squeeze. The evening breeze that came off the water drew her closer to him, and he kissed the top of her head. If he still had any doubts about her love, she hoped to assuage them by the end of the night. So when Grumman was waiting for them outside the resort, Riza didn't pull away. Instead, she held Roy tighter and smiled when he did the same.

"Happy birthday, dear," Grumman said, giving Riza a quick hug in the brief interlude when Roy released his hold on her before putting his arm around her waist again. "Smart boy not to let someone like her go." He winked at Roy.

"I don't plan on ever letting her go," Roy said, and he looked over at Riza so warmly that it made her heart flutter the way it had when they first started going out. Then he started to sputter, "I don't mean in the physical sense, Riza. You can go now if this is too much."

Riza laughed. "I knew what you meant, Roy. And I'm not going anywhere."

When they got to the table, Roy pulled Riza's chair out for her, and as soon as they were both seated, he took her hand, thumbing the back of it lightly. It was an open air restaurant and their chairs faced the sea. The sound of waves against the shore was just audible over the noise of the restaurant and the evening light made the water shine. It was romantic, even with the rest of the group chatting around the table. While she and Roy remained silent, it felt almost as if they were alone in a crowd.

"And what should we get for the birthday girl's first drink?" Jean asked, leaning forward over the table.

"I think I'll just stick with one drink tonight," Riza said.

"Only one drink? It's your twenty-first! You should get smashed tonight!"

"Jean," Rebecca said softly, "I think she wants to be sober for birthday sex."

Jean's face lit up. "Oho! Very smart, Riza. Does Roy follow the spanking tradition? Because twenty-one is a lot more than you'd think."

Rebecca gave him a sharp elbow to the ribs but the damage was already done, and when Rebecca looked up, Riza was frowning.

"I'd appreciate it if the two of you didn't speak so openly about my sex life in front of my last living relative," Riza hissed.

She glanced over at Grumman, who seemed to be looking off in the opposite direction as though pretending he hadn't heard any of the previous conversation. Riza breathed a sigh of relief and Roy squeezed her hand. On the opposite side of the table, Rebecca and Jean looked at each other sheepishly.

While the rest of the group talked and joked, Riza and Roy spoke little. Roy sneaked a bite of salmon from Riza's plate and offered her a bite of his sirloin in return, which she accepted with a faint smile. The sun was creeping toward the horizon and Roy began to fidget in his seat, occasionally bumping his knee against hers by mistake and offering an apology each time. He seemed to become more restless with every passing moment until both he and Riza had finished eating and the sun barely hovered above the water.

"Would you like to watch the sunset together, Riza?" he asked.

She glanced over at Grumman, who nodded without looking up from the drink menu. "I'd love to."

Roy led her by the hand over to the wall and they leaned against it, Roy putting his arm around Riza's waist. As the hues of the clouds became even more dramatic—pinks and oranges contrasting against the dusky blue of the sky—Roy turned to face her. Surprised, Riza turned as well, raising an eyebrow as he took her hands in his.

"I love you," he said.

Riza's heart sped up as she began to suspect just what it was both he and Rebecca had been hiding all day. "I love you, too," she said.

Still holding her hands, Roy sank down onto one knee. "And I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Riza Hawkeye. You're the most incredible person I've ever met, and I never thought it was possible for a person to be as in love as I am with you." Releasing her left hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring. "Will you marry me?"

He was gazing up at her so earnestly, with such adoration, that Riza wished she could stare back into his eyes forever and keep this moment to live in again and again. She had imagined it so many times, wondered if he ever would ask when the subject had come up so many times before that it might have just been assumed. But now, with the sunset and the sound of the waves in an entirely different world than the two of them, nothing had ever felt so wonderfully real.

"Of course I'll marry you. I can't imagine going through life without you," she said without hesitation and Roy's face lit up. If she had thought the sunset made him even more handsome than usual, it was nothing compared to the joy in his expression now. He slipped the ring onto her finger before pulling her into a kiss. It was slow and sensual and left her breathless but unable to pull away, wishing instead that he would hold her even tighter. She no longer cared that they had attracted the attention of other diners and guests who had come to watch the sunset; if anything the applause she could barely hear over the roar of the ocean and the frantic beating of her own heart were an encouragement.

Roy pulled back from the kiss slowly, took a second to catch his breath, and grinned. "You've never looked more beautiful," he said. "I feel like the luckiest man in the world."

"And I feel like the luckiest woman," Riza said.

Hand in hand, they returned to the table, which had clearly been the source of the loudest cheers. All of their friends were still standing except Rebecca, who was missing. She appeared a moment later, out of breath and looking almost as thrilled as Riza felt.

"I filmed the whole thing!" she told Riza. "I'm so happy for you, Riza! I wanted to tell you all day! Roy told me the plan last night and I could hardly sleep. Now let's see that ring." Riza held out her hand and Rebecca looked at the ring appraisingly for a moment before engulfing her in a bone-crushing hug. When she pulled away, Rebecca looked down at the ring again, and Riza followed her gaze. She had been so caught up in the moment she hadn't even taken a good look at it herself. It was old-fashioned, with a single large diamond and an intricate pattern engraved into the silver band.

Her grandfather gave her a hug as well once Rebecca had left to head back to her seat. "Congratulations, my dear." Turning to Roy, he added, "And welcome to the family, Roy." Roy looked surprised when he received a hug of his own.

Everyone sat down again and Grumman ordered a bottle of champagne for the table. Riza hadn't felt anything after the glass of wine she'd had with dinner, and she felt so full she reasoned one glass of champagne would be out of her system by the time they got back. And if not, she and Roy could simply sit on their balcony and look at the stars until she was sober again. It had been a while since they'd had the chance to do that.

"To my beautiful fiancée, Riza," Roy said, raising his glass.

The rest of the table echoed the toast and they all drank. The bubbles tickled Riza's throat and she reached for her water after, noticing the way the diamond in her ring caught the light when her hand moved. It felt even more unusual on her finger than the bubbles did in her mouth, though she found neither unpleasant. The ring, in particular, felt right. A year was the perfect length for an engagement, and she had a feeling she'd be spending the next two semesters goading Roy into studying rather than planning the wedding. For a moment, her mind wandered back to his panic on Valentine's Day, and she made a mental note to create an actual sex game out of studying just in case it proved useful.

Roy placed his hand on Riza's thigh, just below the hem of her borrowed dress. Somewhat startled, she looked over at him. "Wanna duck out early?" he asked. "Since it looks like everyone else is planning on getting drunk."

"I wouldn't say everyone else," Riza said, nodding toward Kain and Gracia.

"They can follow us if they want. I just want to be alone with you." He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Riza nodded. Turning to Grumman, she said, "Thank you for dinner, Grandfather. We had a wonderful time."

He smiled at her. "It was nothing. You kids have a good night."

"We will, Mr. Grumman," Roy said.

He and Riza got to their feet and left the restaurant. As they strolled down the dark street toward the house, Roy put his arm around Riza's shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Thank you," he said, his breath tickling her ear.

"For what?" She looked over at him, confused.

Roy nuzzled her neck. "For saying you'd marry me, of course."

"I can't imagine why you're so surprised," she said with a hint of amusement. "I've already said I want to."

"It's just—we always talked about the future together and it feels like it's finally happening. We moved into our first apartment, we have a dog, we're graduating next year, and now we're engaged." Removing his arm from her shoulders, he took her left hand and began playing with her ring.

Riza smiled. "It does feel as though things are moving quickly."

"Not too quickly, I hope," Roy said.

"Of course not. This feels right." And it did. She had rarely felt so content in her life as she did now, between Roy and the sea, looking forward to a future that was such a breath of fresh air after her childhood.

Silence fell between them and they allowed small gestures to fill the gap in conversation. Each brush of their shoulders against each other, the way their fingers entwined, the way they walked in perfect step with each other all felt as significant as words might have been. It was only when they reached the door of the rented house that Roy spoke. He turned to face Riza and reached up to cup her chin in his free hand. "You look so beautiful," he murmured, leaning in to kiss her.

Riza leaned into his chest as she returned the kiss, letting her eyes flutter halfway closed. A small noise of protest escaped her as his lips left hers, and when she opened her eyes, he was looking at her with such tenderness that it almost swept her off her feet. He caressed her cheek slowly and kissed her again, this time on the forehead.

"Let's go inside," Riza said. She was eager to get up to their room.

As soon as the door was open, Roy lifted her bridal style and carried her upstairs. He had shut the door with his foot, not bothering to lock it, and Riza was grateful that they had left the kitchen and upstairs hallway lights on. Inside their room, he nudged the door shut with his hip and maneuvered Riza so she could turn on the bedside lamp. Still holding her, he kicked off his shoes. At last, he laid her on the bed and crawled between her legs, pressing his mouth to hers again in a much more passionate kiss. His tongue traced lightly between her lips until she parted them, releasing a soft sigh.

His hands tugged at the hem of her dress and she turned her head away from the kiss. "Careful. Rebecca will kill you if you rip her dress."

"I have no intention of ripping it. We've had plenty of rough sex this week. I want to make love to you tonight." Roy gave her another ardent kiss.

"You're so cheesy," she said when he pulled back.

"I'm a romantic. It's what we do."

She lifted her hips so he could push the dress up to her waist, then sat up so he could remove it entirely. When it caught on her braid, she started to undo it, but Roy stopped her.

"Allow me," he said once he had removed the dress. He gently removed the hair tie, then combed through the strands with his fingers until the braid fell apart.

While he continued to stroke her hair, Riza began playing with Roy's tie, fiddling the end of it between her fingers and gradually working her way up to give it a gentle tug, pulling him in for another kiss. As his tongue brushed against hers, she undid his tie and tossed it aside. He leaned forward until he was lying on top of her again, then kissed down from her lips to the sensitive spot beneath her chin and down her neck, leaving her fingers trembling as she undid the buttons on his shirt. At last, she reached the bottom, untucked it from his pants, and removed both his shirt and jacket when he pulled back.

Leaning forward again, he kissed from her collarbones down to the top of her bra. His bottom lip skimmed the lace as his hands caressed her sides, just below the band. He slipped his fingers beneath it, working them around to the front to gently stroke the undersides of her breasts.

Riza arched her back to unhook her bra, giving Roy's hands more space to work with. She tossed it aside and he palmed her breasts. As he continued to massage one, he trailed his other hand down her belly and traced the skin above her panties. He began to kiss the breast he had abandoned, open-mouthed and lingering. His lips closed around her nipple and he flicked it with his tongue as he slipped his hand into her underwear to stroke her. His fingers moved slowly, achingly, but unlike this morning, he wasn't trying to tease her. It felt as if he were trying to memorize her folds with his fingertips, though she would have thought he knew them by heart after so many years. She closed her eyes and let out a soft moan at the gentle pressure of his thumb against her clit and two of his fingers pushing inside of her.

He looked up at her, a tender smile on his face. His dark eyes drank in her features, and he moved to rub his nose against hers. "I love you," he said. Before she had a chance to tell him the same, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her in rhythm with the motion of his hands: slow and sweet. She never wanted that kiss to end, but she had to pull away to catch her breath, which was growing more ragged by the second as her legs twitched and her hips lifted from the bed to meet Roy's fingers.

When she came, she gasped, feeling weightless and breathless and so wonderfully in love with the man who was now kissing her jawline. He met her eyes again and she gave him a small nod. Slowly, he removed her underwear and got off the bed to remove the rest of his clothing. Once he had finished, he didn't come back to bed and Riza sat up to watch as he drew the curtains and opened the sliding door, letting the cool night air in through the screen. It felt strange against Riza's exposed skin, but certainly not unpleasant, and before she knew it, Roy had finished taking care of the protection and was between her legs once again.

Her hips rose up into position for him to slide into her easily, and he wrapped his arms around her as he did. He pressed a kiss to the side of her mouth and she tucked her legs up, resting her ankles against his hips. Each thrust was slow and deep and he moved his lips to kiss her properly, holding her tight against him. She let out a soft moan and put her arms around him as well, caressing his back as she moved her hips in time with his. After several more minutes, he shuddered, and moaned her name into her mouth, pushing deeper inside of her as he reached his climax. A few more thrusts and he allowed himself to slip out of her, rolling onto his side and pulling her with him. They remained tangled around each other in silence except for their breathing until he said, "I can't wait to wake up next to you every morning for the rest of my life."

Riza smiled, but refrained from calling him cheesy again. "Neither can I. I love you, Roy. Thank you for the best birthday present I've ever gotten."

"Don't mention it. You've known for quite some time how good I am with my tongue." She prodded his thigh gently with her foot and he quickly continued, "I'm kidding—I'm kidding. I wanted to make it a birthday you'd never forget."

"You certainly succeeded." She kissed his cheek.

He stroked her hair, letting a piece of it fall over her shoulder and between them as it slipped through his fingers. "I felt like the luckiest man alive when you said yes. I should have said something about how happy you make me. I had so many things I planned to say and it all just went out of my head when I realized it was finally happening."

"It was perfect the way it was," she said, giving him another kiss. "Besides, you have plenty of time to work on adding them your vows."

Roy grinned. "My vows. Our vows. We're getting married, Riza. We're going to have a wedding and a honeymoon and—shit, we're going to have to _plan_ a wedding."

Laughing, Riza hooked her leg over his and pulled him closer. "We have a whole year, and I'm sure we'll have a lot of help. If you'd like, we can focus on the honeymoon first."

"Somewhere like this," he said, "only with a private beach. I still want to watch your boobs float in the ocean."

"Better keep that one out of the vows," Riza teased.

"And maybe a hammock between two palm trees, and we can hold each other under the stars and listen to the waves until we fall asleep. But most of all," he said, leaning his forehead against hers, "I just want to be with you without any obligations to distract us."

"Mmm, that sounds lovely," Riza said. She was starting to doze off already, but she never wanted this night to end, so she reminded herself that they still hadn't cleaned up. "You know what else sounds lovely?"

"What?" he asked.

"Taking a long, hot shower together and then sitting on the balcony in our bathrobes, talking until we can't stay awake another minute."

Roy squeezed her tight. "It looks like I'm starting to rub off on you."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You're turning into a pretty hopeless romantic yourself," he said, eyes shining.

She took a deep breath, smiling as she realized he was right. "Maybe I am."


	14. Chapter 14

Riza tugged the heavy quilt closer to her chin and cuddled against Roy's chest, soaking in his warmth. Apparently awake as well, he clutched her tighter and rubbed her back vigorously. "I'll put another blanket on the bed tonight," he said, voice still rough from sleep. He feathered kisses across her face until she smiled.

"We should get up and help Aunt Chris with breakfast," she said, pulling back from Roy's lips.

"I thought you were cold."

She lifted her hands from under the covers to stroke his cheek and he leaned into the warmth of her touch. "We'll take a hot shower first," she promised.

"A hot shower or a _hot_ shower?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Second base is as far as you're getting. We have to eat breakfast before Pinako brings the kids over. Now come on. I think I can hear Aunt Chris getting up," Riza said.

After they had showered, they went downstairs, where Riza put a pot of coffee on and Roy set a pan on a burner and turned the stove on. Chris was still upstairs and Riza moved behind Roy to wrap her arms around his waist and rest her chin on his shoulder.

He placed his left hand over hers. "You're wearing my ring, my sweater… I feel like I should be wearing something of yours."

Nuzzling his neck, she said, "In a way, I suppose you are wearing me."

"Close enough," he said, and she could tell that he was grinning.

Footsteps echoed behind them and Riza stepped away from Roy to greet Chris, who wore an expression so reminiscent of Roy that it almost made Riza laugh. "I'd apologize for making so much noise last night," Chris said, "but I could tell the two of you were still up when I came in."

Riza's amusement quickly turned to embarrassment and she felt her face heat up. It had taken her quite some time to adjust to knowing that Chris was aware of their physical relationship, and there was enough of a difference between awareness and eavesdropping—unintentional though it had been—that Riza still hadn't gotten comfortable with the latter.

"You've been acting like newlyweds since you were eighteen," Chris said with a hint of amusement. "There's no need to be shy now that you're engaged."

"I'm making omelets and you get the first one," Roy said loudly to interrupt the thread of the conversation. "What would you like, Aunt Chris?"

Taking three mugs from the cupboard, Chris shrugged. "I'll take some of everything." She poured the coffee and added creamer to one, which she set aside for Roy before taking one of the remaining two for herself.

"Thank you," Riza said, taking the other untouched mug. She lifted the mug to let the steam warm her face as she leaned against the counter beside the stove.

Roy smiled at her. "You look cute like that," he said, nodding toward the sloppy bun on top of her head.

"Don't burn my omelet because of those stars in your eyes, Roy-boy," Chris teased.

"Hey, I can took and admire my fiancée at the same time!" Roy said. "Besides, it's done anyway." He scooped the omelet onto a plate then cracked more eggs into the pan. He didn't bother asking Riza what she wanted; he already knew how much of everything she liked.

When her omelet was finished, she thanked Roy and kissed his cheek, shaking her head at the cocky grin that crossed his face in response. She joined Chris at the table and dug into her omelet. As always, it was perfect.

Roy joined them a few moments later, depositing his plate and mug beside Riza's, then disappeared into the kitchen again, returning moments later with three glasses and a carton of orange juice. He filled the glasses before sitting down and chugging his coffee, which had cooled rapidly thanks to the creamer. While he ate, he caressed Riza's thigh with his free hand, though she wasn't certain whether it was entirely from affection or if it was because she was wearing her softest leggings.

The doorbell rang after they had finished eating and Chris got up to answer it while Riza and Roy cleared the table. Before they had a chance to rinse the dishes, however, Chris called out, "Roy! Riza! It's for you."

They left the kitchen hand in hand and as they reached the entry, Riza felt something ram into and wrap around her. She looked down with a fond smile. "Hey, Winry."

"I'm so excited for you, Miss Riza!" Winry gushed, squeezing Riza's waist. Behind her, Alphonse looked equally excited, but he was more bashful when it came to hugging. He mumbled a shy congratulation and Riza beamed at him.

Edward, however, was looking at Roy warily with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "I can't believe she's gonna marry you."

"Brother," Alphonse said, tugging at the hood of Edward's jacket.

"Winry," Riza said, hoping to diffuse the uncomfortable atmosphere, "would you like to be my flower girl?"

Winry's eyes went wide with surprise and delight. "I'd love to!"

"Edward, Alphonse, would you like to be the ring bearers?" she asked. Edward scowled for a moment, but he did nod his head in agreement, though with far less enthusiasm than Alphonse.

Roy crouched down to look Edward in the eye. "Look, kid," he said, putting a hand on Edward's shoulder, "I know you don't like me, and I know Riza's been almost like a mom to you ever since Trisha died, but you can trust me on this. I've been head over heels for her since I was about your age, and I'll always treat her like the queen she is."

Edward still looked skeptical. "So you love Miss Riza?"

Beside him, Alphonse looked nervous. "Brother," he whispered, giving Edward's sleeve a warning tug.

"With all my heart," Roy said, looking over at Riza with a tender expression that made her own heart ache with a sudden burst of love as well.

"And you'll take care of her?" Edward demanded.

"If she'll let me," Roy said with a good-natured chuckle. "She's pretty good at taking care of herself."

"And you'll never, ever leave her and your kids behind forever?"

"Never ever," Roy promised. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life by her side. There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Edward considered this for a moment before he grudgingly said, "Fine. I guess you can marry her then."

Riza tensed slightly, concerned that Roy might go off on Edward about not needing his permission, but all he did was laugh and say, "Jeez, and I thought Rebecca's approval was hard to win." He stood up again and put his arms around Riza's waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, are you gonna take us to the park or are you gonna stare at her like your brain fell out?" Ed asked.

Riza ran her fingers through Roy's hair. "I did promise Pinako we'd take them."

"Do I still get to look at you like my brain fell out?" Roy teased.

Laughing, Riza pressed a kiss to his forehead. "If it makes you happy."

Roy kissed her shoulder, leaving his lips against the fabric of her sweater as he said, "It does."

She disentangled herself from his arms and went to put her boots on with Winry, Edward, and Alphonse at her heels. When she stood, Roy wrapped a scarf around her neck before stepping into his own boots. Riza adjusted the scarf slightly, then took his hand and led the way out the door. As they made their way up the sidewalk, Winry took Riza's free hand.

"I miss when you used to play with me all the time," Winry said.

Riza squeezed her hand. "So do I," she said with a smile.

"Promise you won't forget about us after you get married?"

Puzzled, Riza looked down at Winry. "Why would I forget you?"

"Well, you'll have your own kids to play with soon," Winry explained.

"By the time Roy and I have children, you will be old enough to babysit them," Riza said.

Winry smiled again, looking relieved that she wasn't about to lose her favorite babysitter just yet. She tugged on Riza's hand, pulling her toward the park. The playground was empty and the Elrics and Winry raced toward it, laughing and chattering while Roy and Riza sat on a bench to watch them. Roy slipped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. "They're good kids," he said. "Even if Edward's a little shit sometimes."

"Roy!" Riza chided, giving him a stern look.

"I'm just saying no kid of ours would ever act like that. He gave me the third degree back there like he had some kind of say in whether I married you or not. If I ever meet that Hohenheim guy, I'll wring his neck for scaring his own kid like that." Roy shook his head and looked back at the playground, watching as Edward and Winry raced down the slides with Al as some sort of referee.

Riza leaned her head against Roy's shoulder and he gave her a quick squeeze. "Maybe they should have investigated my father's death more closely," she said.

"I can't say I didn't think about wringing his neck at times," Roy admitted. "The thought of you going to bed without dinner, and spending your evenings all alone. If he hadn't let you spend the night at my house as often as he did, I might have done something stupid."

She could feel his hand clench into a fist against her arm and she placed a hand on his knee to calm him. "It's in the past, Roy. He's dead and you will never have to worry about me like that again."

"I always worry about you," he said, placing his hand over hers.

Of course he did. She worried about him, too. Perhaps it was foolish of both of them, but for Riza's part, after years of neglect from her father, it was nice to have someone who cared enough about her to worry.

Over the course of the next hour, clouds began to obscure the small patches of October sunlight, threatening rain. Riza got to her feet. "Time for lunch!" she called.

With some reluctance, the kids left the playground and followed Riza and Roy away from the park. The first raindrops splattered on the sidewalk and Roy hooked his arm through Riza's, shrinking against her as though that could make up for their lack of an umbrella.

"What's for lunch?" Alphonse asked

"Well, Riza made some pumpkin pie last night," Roy said, earning himself a gentle elbow in the ribs.

"That's not lunch, Roy," Riza scolded. "We'll make sandwiches."

"And can we have pie after?" Winry asked.

Riza nodded. "Of course."

Rain pounded against the windows while Riza and Roy made the sandwiches with the kids sitting on the stools across the counter. While Riza spread peanut butter on a slice of bread, her mind wandered back to what Winry had said earlier and she tried to picture what it would be like for her own kids to be sitting on the other side of the bar. Perhaps she and Roy were still too young; it was impossible for her to see anything but the children she had been babysitting for the past five years. Roy slapped his jelly-covered slice of bread on top of hers as soon as she withdrew the knife then slid the plate across the counter to Alphonse. With the last sandwich complete, Roy slipped an arm around Riza's waist and pulled her close to kiss her temple.

Edward made gagging sounds and Roy pulled his lips away, tightening his grip on Riza's waist. "You're not gonna make it through the wedding if you can't handle a little kiss."

Riza turned to give him a sharp look, but as soon as she was facing him, he kissed her again, this time on the lips. When she responded, he slipped his tongue into her mouth, and thankfully the moan she couldn't completely suppress was lost in Edward's noises of disgust.

"If you're gonna stick your tongue down her throat again, I don't want to come to your wedding," Edward said.

Turning away from the kiss, Riza wiped her mouth on her sleeve. It was Roy's sweater anyway, and most of the spit was his. "Roy, this really wasn't an appropriate time for that. In fact, I remember another seven-year-old who thought kissing was disgusting."

"I sure grew out of that one, didn't I?" he said, running a hand through his hair.

"Wish you hadn't," Edward said.

"I think it's sweet," Winry said. "Miss Riza told me she already liked him back then."

"In my defense, I liked her, too," Roy said. "I was just an idiot." Edward scowled at that and Riza pulled away from Roy to retrieve the pie from the fridge. She put a slice on each plate and passed out forks, which provided a welcome distraction. Roy appeared at her side again an instant later, holding the can of whipped cream. He smothered his own slice before passing the can to Alphonse.

Riza raised an eyebrow at him. "Finish your lunch first," she said.

"Thank you, Miss Riza," Alphonse said, taking a bite. "Your pie is amazing."

"You're welcome," she said.

Taking a forkful of whipped cream and a tiny bit of pie, Roy fed his first bite to Riza. "I'm practicing for the wedding," he explained when she narrowed her eyes.

"You're supposed to be setting an example," she said once she had swallowed, cringing at the ungodly amount of whipped cream. "You're going to have a stomachache later."

"Worth it," Roy said through a mouthful that seemed, at least, to contain more pie than Riza's had.

When the can got around to Riza, she finished the last few bites of her sandwich and added a conservative amount of whipped cream to her slice of pie. The doorbell rang before she took a bite and she set her fork down to answer it.

"Come in," she said to Pinako. "The kids are just finishing their lunch."

Pinako closed her umbrella and shook it. "Thank you, dear."

"Would you like some pie?"

When Pinako nodded, Riza escorted her to the kitchen and served another slice of pie.

"Hey, Granny!" Winry said when Pinako took the last empty stool.

"Did you have a good time today?" Pinako asked.

Winry, Edward, and Alphonse all nodded and Winry said, "I'm sad Miss Riza has to leave tomorrow."

"I'm sad, too," Riza said, reaching across the counter to pat Winry's hand. "I never get to see any of you these days."

Once they had all finished eating, Pinako herded the children to the door where they hugged Riza one last time. "Thank you for watching them this morning," Pinako said.

"Thank you for asking me to. I've missed them." Riza waved as they left and closed the door against the cold and rain.

"And now," said Roy from behind her, "it's time for some adult fun."

Riza closed her eyes. "As much as I love those kids, I'm not particularly in the mood to make any of our own," she said, turning to face him. When she opened her eyes, she realized Roy was holding a stack of DVDs.

"I was talking about these," he said.

After examining the titles, Riza looked up at him with one eyebrow raised. "I didn't know you liked horror movies," she said.

He shrugged. "They always sounded ridiculous to me. Zombies I get, but ghosts? They're only scary if you believe in them."

"What changed your mind?" Riza asked.

"Oh, just something Maes texted me earlier," Roy said. From the tone of his voice, Riza was suddenly very curious about what exactly Maes had said, but she didn't ask, only followed Roy into the living room and settled on the couch while he put the first DVD in the player.

Roy hurried to sit beside her, carrying the remote and a blanket that he draped over them. After he pressed play, he pulled Riza close. "If you get scared, just turn to me and I'll hold you until it's over," he said.

"Uh huh," Riza said. She hadn't realized that he didn't know she had watched this movie every October that she had lived with Rebecca.

"I've got you," he said, though his voice was a little less sure than it had been moments before.

To bolster his pride again, Riza snuggled against him, tucking her legs up so that her knees rested on his thighs. He squeezed her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "I should have made cider," he said.

"I saw some in the fridge," she said.

"No, the regular kind," he said into her hair. His hand found hers beneath the blanket and he laced their fingers together.

As they watched the movie, Riza felt a warm sense of nostalgia wash over her, remembering late nights sitting on Rebecca's bed, bracing herself for ear-splitting screams, always followed by laughter from both of them. It was very different from the way Roy was coming onto—no. That wasn't it. His hand was still gripping hers tight, and he was trying to burrow into her neck without kissing it.

"Are you scared?" she asked.

"No, I'm not scared. Are you scared?" His voice was nearly an octave higher than usual and Riza extracted her hand from his to put her arm around him, pulling him against her.

"There's no shame in admitting it," she said gently, putting her other arm around him as well, cradling him until he sank against her chest, adjusting his position to hug his knees instead of her. She pulled the blanket up over his face. "I'll put it down when this part ends."

"Thank you," he whispered.

She rubbed his arm reassuringly. "It's ok," she told him.

"I know it is," he said, his voice coming closer to normal. "I have you."


	15. Chapter 15

Riza brought her knife down on the potato with more force than she intended, grateful, at least, that she hadn't dropped it in surprise when Roy leaned his head into her butt. In this cramped kitchen, there was just enough room between his stool and the counter for Riza to stand, making her an ideal headrest for him. Even so, she found the contact incredibly distracting, especially with company over. "Some warning would have been nice," she said. "I could have lost a finger."

"I'd believe that if you didn't have such freakishly steady hands. I'd never dare use anyone else's butt as a headrest if they were holding a knife," Roy said, moving his head ever so slightly to settle it more comfortably against her.

Riza resumed chopping the potatoes that Roy and Rebecca had peeled. "I should hope not, considering we're engaged."

"Don't worry," Roy said. "My anaconda only wants your buns, hun."

"Look at you using the wrong head in two completely different ways," Rebecca said.

"Hey! What are you doing that for?" Roy snapped.

Riza turned her head to see Roy covered in potato peels. "Rebecca, stop throwing those things at him."

"Sorry. Wrong trash can." Rebecca flicked the peels from Roy's shoulder into the garbage.

"Riza, she's picking on me," Roy said. He took one of his own peels and tossed it toward Rebecca's head, where it stuck in her hair.

Setting her knife aside, Riza turned and folded her arms across her chest. "Do I need to separate the two of you?"

There was a knock at the door before either of them could answer and Rebecca jumped up. She left her potato peeler on the stool and raced to answer it. Roy shook his head. "Wonder what took Jean so long. I guess you can get back to chopping at any rate," he said.

"Nice try. You're going to have to wait until after dinner to touch my butt again," Riza said.

Maes turned from the table where he sat with Gracia, peeling sweet potatoes. "What's all this about butt touching, Roy? I thought this was supposed to be a family-friendly dinner."

"Gracia isn't even due for another month. It's not like I'm saying inappropriate things in front of a kid. We're all adults," Roy said, slicing his potato more violently than he had the previous ones.

"Easy for you to say now. Wait until it's Riza who's pregnant, then you'll understand."

Roy scowled. "I hope your kid gets used to the idea of not having any siblings, then. If you can't even handle your friends talking about some innocent butt touching in the same room as a fetus."

Before Maes could respond, Rebecca's voice could be heard from the front door, shouting, "That's what took you so long? A "quick" cigarette? Quick my ass, Jean. You keep telling me you want to quit and then you pull shit like this."

"Becca, do have any idea how hard it is? I've already cut back."

"I wouldn't be this upset if you weren't so damn secretive. You could have waited until you got back and told me you were going out for a twenty minute smoke." Riza looked at Roy, whose skin had paled somewhat. A part of her wanted to intervene, to tell Rebecca to stop shouting before the neighbors called in a noise violation. But she knew it wasn't her place, so she simply gripped Roy's shoulders until he reached up to pat her hand reassuringly. God, she was grateful to have him. After seven years together, they still had small arguments, but in all that time, they had never had the kind of shouting match Rebecca and Jean were having. Of course, it did help somewhat that Roy had nearly vomited after swiping one of Aunt Chris's cigarettes.

At last, Rebecca stormed into the kitchen and resumed her position peeling potatoes. Jean hung back, looking a little wary as he set the groceries on the table. Heymans muttered something to him and gave him a pat on the back, but it didn't seem to do much in the way of cheering Jean up.

Roy scooted his stool away from Rebecca's, but she was too upset to comment on it. Instead, she buried herself in the task until all the potatoes were peeled and chopped and set on the stove to boil. Riza put a hand on Rebecca's shoulder. "Do you need to talk?" she asked. When Rebecca nodded, Riza turned to Roy. "Watch the potatoes."

"I know, I know," he said, waving them off.

Riza guided Rebecca to the bedroom and closed the door, motioning for her to have a seat on the edge of the bed. Sitting beside her, Riza took Rebecca's hand gently in both of hers. "Tell me what's wrong."

"You're lucky, you know. God, I never thought I'd say this about Roy, but he's so wonderful to you. And Jean is—well, he's trying." Rebecca took a deep breath and Riza squeezed her hand. "I've been trying to convince him to stop smoking ever since we got together, but he keeps sneaking cigarettes and I can't stand it. The fact that he's hiding it is the worst part. He couldn't today, of course, since his clothes reek. But sometimes I'll go to his room in the middle of the day and he'll taste like mouthwash and I _know_ he's been smoking. "

"He is trying, though?" Riza asked.

"I think so. It takes him a week to go through a pack now. And I know he wants to quit, but it's so _hard_ , Riza. And I can't do anything to help him." Rebecca buried her face in Riza's shoulder and Riza withdrew one of her hands to stroke Rebecca's hair.

"You already are, Becca," Riza said gently. "The rest of us have been trying to get him to quit for years, and you've done more in a couple of months than Heymans and I have in years."

Rebecca looked up at her, eyes threatening tears that Riza knew no one would ever see. "I'm just scared. What if he dies young? What if we have kids? He'll have to quit then and what if he can't?"

"He will. Even if it takes years, he will do it for you," Riza said.

There was a knock at the door. "Hey, Riza, sorry to interrupt, but the potatoes are mashed and I can't find the recipe card," Roy said.

Riza looked to Rebecca. "I'll be fine," she said, pulling back from Riza. "I think I need a minute alone anyway. Thanks for listening to me."

"I'm always here for you," Riza said.

"Likewise. Now go rescue your man, but don't you dare tell him what I said to you."

"I won't." At least, she wouldn't tell him that Rebecca had said it. She had every intention of thanking him for being so wonderful. It was Thanksgiving, after all. With one last concerned glance over her shoulder at Rebecca, Riza left the room and closed the door. Giving Roy a kiss on the cheek, she slipped her hand into his.

"What was that for?" he asked. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"For being you," she said.

Roy grinned. "I'll take it."

Before Riza had a chance to find the misplaced recipe card, Kain looked up from the celery he was chopping. "Oh, hey, I should've asked this earlier, but did you know the oven is turned off?"

Roy pulled his hand from Riza's and went to look into the oven, a look of horror on his face while Riza calmly stood beside the counter. The light went on and Roy gasped. "The turkey's gone!" he said. "We have no turkey. Riza, go to the store and—"

"Relax, Roy," Riza said, moving to his side and putting a hand on his elbow. "I put the turkey in the crockpot this morning, remember?"

"If you'd seen yourself this morning, I think you'd forgive me for not paying attention to what you did with the turkey," Roy said.

"Flattery will get you nowhere." She turned to Kain, who was staring from Riza to the turkey to Roy and back with a look of horror. "It's nothing like you think if you're staring at us like that. He just thinks it's cute when I cook in my pajamas."

Roy shrugged and caught her eye with a smirk on his face before he turned to preheat the oven for the potatoes. When he returned to her side, he put an arm around her shoulders, giving them a squeeze. He pressed a gentle kiss to her temple and she couldn't even pretend to be annoyed as she leaned into the kiss. Family. This was their family, every bit as much as Aunt Chris was, and with them here and Roy's arm around her, she felt completely at home.

After the food was finished and dished up, they all sat on folding chairs around card tables that had been pushed together. Roy raised his glass and everyone fell silent. Placing a hand on Riza's knee, he said, "I'd like to thank you all for coming today," he said. "I couldn't ask for better friends. But most of all, I'm thankful for Riza." He looked to her and she smiled.

"I'm thankful for Hayate." Several beats passed and Roy's face fell. She placed her hand on his. "I'm thankful for you, too, you know."

"I'm thankful we don't have to eat shitty caf turkey this year," Rebecca said quickly to diffuse the situation.

"I'm thankful for Rebecca's faith in me," Jean said.

Heymans took a sip of wine. "I'm thankful Riza's such a good cook."

"I'm just thankful I have friends like you guys," Kain said.

"I'm thankful for my family," Gracia said.

Riza could feel Roy tense as Maes took a deep breath and she gave him a look that said she knew he was every bit as sappy as Maes, even if he wasn't as public with it. "I'm thankful for my incredible wife and for our daughter who I can't wait to meet but I'm sure she'll be every bit as wonderful as her mother," Maes said, looking at Gracia with stars in his eyes.

"So," said Heymans when silence fell, "does this mean it's time to eat?"

With a shrug, Roy glanced around the table and then dug in to his own plate. Riza slipped a few scraps of turkey to Hayate, who sat obediently at her feet. As they ate, Roy took Riza's free hand and she smiled, shaking her head slightly when she saw him struggle to eat with his left hand.

She squeezed his hand gently. "You don't have to do this," she said.

"I want to," he said, finally managing to keep a green bean on his fork.

"You always want to."

Jean flicked an olive at them. "Some of us are trying to eat here."

"I'm making a special effort so I get to eat later," Roy replied, stabbing the olive with only a little difficulty and popping it in his mouth. Riza gave him a look to say that, if he kept talking like that, he definitely would not be eating later. In response, he shoveled mashed potatoes into his mouth until it was completely full. No room to put his foot in it again. Much better.

"So," Riza said, leaning forward slightly to address Maes and Gracia, "have you two decided on a name yet?"

They exchanged a brief glance and Gracia nodded. "We like the name Elicia."

"That's a cute name," Riza said.

"Thank you." Gracia looked at her plate for a moment, and then to Maes, who gave a short nod. "I've been wondering if you'd like to be there when she's born. And Rebecca, too. You're like sisters to me, and since I don't have any…"

"I'd love to," Riza said.

"Me, too." Rebecca sounded a little surprised but pleased nonetheless.

As Maes pulled out his phone to share the latest ultrasound pictures, Riza took a bite of her sweet potatoes and looked around, savoring the warmth that settled over her. Maybe she was an orphan, but damned if she didn't have the best family in the world.


	16. Chapter 16

Riza tugged one of Roy's hoodies over her head and smoothed her hair as best as she could without a comb or a mirror. Once she had deemed her work satisfactory, she sat on the edge of the bed to put on a second pair of socks, glancing back over her shoulder at Roy. He curled himself tighter around Riza's pillow and let out an overlong groan. Shaking her head, Riza crawled over to give him a gentle kiss. "Aren't you coming to campus today?"

"No. I'm staying in bed." He rolled onto his back to look at her. "How many sweaters are you wearing?"

"Two," she said, tugging at the hem of her sweater until it showed beneath the borrowed one.

"You should stay in bed, too. I won't let you get cold." It was incredible how suggestive he could sound while still half asleep.

"Tempting, but I need to go to class."

He sighed. "And you think I do, too."

"You'll have all of winter break to sleep in, not to mention dead week," she said, rubbing his knee through the covers and trying to sound sympathetic.

"If next week is dead week, then this is I'd rather be dead week."

"I thought that was finals week," she said dryly.

He laughed and pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair as she lay on his chest. In spite of the nagging sense of responsibility urging her to leave, she truly wanted to stay here. Roy kissed her slowly, sleepily. "Stay," he breathed as she pulled back.

"Come with me," she said, caressing his jawline.

"I'll meet you," he promised. "Take the car so you won't be late."

"If I leave now, I won't be late. If I take the car, though, you will be," she said.

"I'm going to be late anyway. Go," he said gently, pushing her away. "I love you."

"I love you, too." With one last kiss, she left, racing out the door with her backpack over one shoulder and her snow boots tied sloppily. By the time she made it to campus, her lungs were burning from the cold and she regretted having fallen out of the habit of taking a morning run. She caught up with the professor on the stairs, and relief washed over her as she slowed down just enough to catch her breath. Her stomach was rumbling when she entered the classroom, reminding her that if she had stayed home with Roy, she would be eating breakfast now. But she took her notes attentively all the same, forcing aside her plans to find something to eat during the next hour.

When the class was dismissed, Riza found Roy waiting outside the door. He pressed a cup of coffee into her hands before she could even say hello. In his other hand, he held both his own cup and a paper bag that smelled so wonderful it made her stomach growl again.

"Thought you'd be hungry," he said, looking almost smug that he had known to stop for coffee and breakfast burritos.

Arm in arm, they made their way down to the building's lobby and found a pair of empty chairs to claim. Riza thanked Roy and tore into her burrito as soon as she had curled up in one of the chairs.

"Who's the best fiancé?" Roy teased.

Riza swallowed and licked salsa from her upper lip before saying, "You are."

"Fuck yeah I am." He ate more slowly than Riza, looking lost in thought as he chewed. It was one of those rare occasions when she couldn't guess what was eating at him, and she put a gentle hand on his knee to draw his attention. He turned to her, smiling slightly. "I'm fine," he said. "Just thinking about the wedding is all."

"You feel guilty letting Grandfather pay for it," she said, realization washing over her as she remembered the phone call they had gotten the night before.

He nodded. "I've always expected that we'd pay for our own wedding."

"It _is_ tradition for the bride's family to pay, you know," she reminded him.

"Since when have you been one for tradition?" he asked, half teasing. "But aside from that, your father never had much money, and maybe I've just gotten too used to the idea of independence but—"

Riza placed a finger over his lips. "He offered to pay for the honeymoon as well. Wherever we want to go for a whole month."

"When did he say that?" Roy asked.

"After you left to take that call from Maes," Riza said

"Is he still going with the strategy of buying his way into your life through free vacations, then?" Roy's eyes narrowed. "Or is this a hint that he wants grandchildren?"

"I certainly hope it's because he's a lonely old man who wants to make up for the years he lost by spoiling his only living relative." Riza took another bite of her burrito, looking at Roy thoughtfully. Most likely, Grandpa Grumman felt bad about how poor she had been growing up. She could still remember the look on his face when he learned she had never even been to an amusement park.

"Just to be on the safe side, we should probably keep our mouths shut about your shiny new IUD," Roy said, but his eyes were shining. "Alright, Anastasia, you've convinced me. If I'm marrying into long-lost old money, I might as well accept it."

Riza grinned. "I thought this might change your attitude about things. Where would you like to go?"

"Someplace warm and romantic. The details don't matter after that." He stroked the hand she had placed on his knee. It was a remarkably chaste gesture from someone who was almost certainly imagining her naked on one of those beach beds with a gauzy white canopy.

Picturing him in the same situation, she smiled. It certainly was a far cry from the snow outside. "I'd like that," she said.

Lost for a moment in each other's eyes, they didn't notice Heymans and Jean approaching until Jean said, "Hey, lovebirds, isn't there an empty classroom you should be fooling around in?"

Riza pulled away from Roy to give Jean a reproving look. Sounding irritated by the sudden lack of contact with Riza, Roy said, "Way to ruin the moment, Havoc."

Jean shrugged. "I just call it like I see it, and when I walked in, I saw two pairs of bedroom eyes."

"Don't you have a class to go to?" Riza asked.

"Nope. It's cancelled so I'm just following Heymans around."

"You can keep him," Heymans said. "He almost got me kicked out of my last class."

"Fine, I'll just stay here then. With my _real_ friends," Jean said, pretending to look offended.

Riza's phone buzzed and she glanced at the notification. "My next class is cancelled as well."

"Let's just go home, then." Roy downed the last of his coffee and stood, offering a hand to Riza.

Jean jogged after them as they headed toward the door. "What about me?"

"If you want to be a third wheel, I guess you can come," Roy said.

"Actually, you know what? I think I'm going to keep bothering Heymans after all."

Roy laughed, and he and Riza both waved over their shoulders. "Bye, Jean," Riza called out, hoping that he lived to see the end of the hour.

They drove home with the heat turned up as high as possible. Riza warmed her hands over the vents, humming contentedly along with the radio. Roy glanced over at her for a moment, a downright sappy expression on his face. "You're in a good mood today," he said.

She nodded. "Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"

"Looming finals come to mind."

"Mmm, there's still time. I'm just happy to be going home so early, and to have such a thoughtful fiancé." She settled deeper into her seat. They were nearly to their building, and the prospect of an entire day together was as cozy as the air blowing from the vents.

When they arrived at their apartment, Hayate greeted them. Riza remained crouched after removing her shoes in order to pet him while Roy dragged the space heater out of their bedroom and set it up in front of the couch. "I miss Aunt Chris's fireplace," Riza said as she moved to join Roy.

"I do, too, but I don't think this is too bad." He unfolded the oversize throw from the back of the couch, wrapped it around himself, and held out an arm for Riza to share with him. She knew that, as far as he was concerned, the two of them having a place of their own more than made up for the lack of a fireplace.

She snuggled up to him eagerly. His body was already incredibly warm, and with the blanket wrapped around them both, the heat began to spread to Riza as well. Roy stroked her hair, and she leaned her head into the crook of his neck, pressing her lips gently against his skin. This sudden, sensual contact drew a soft sigh of pleasure from Roy.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," he said.

She kissed him again, and with her lips still against his neck, she smiled. "You've always been there for me when I needed someone. I'm just returning the favor. It helps that I'm in love with you."

"And I'm in love with you, Riza." He turned, using his free hand to tilt her chin up so he could kiss her slowly and with such warmth Riza felt it spread all the way to her toes. All those tired clichés about romance that Rebecca had scribbled in the margins of her notes paled in comparison with the real thing, at least as far as Riza was concerned. They had met too young for fireworks to have accompanied their first encounter. The intensity of hormones that had fueled the teenage beginnings of their relationship, aided by the excitement of sneaking around, had faded, but that only made the giddy times when the old passion flared up again all the more intense.

And then there were days like this: when the fire burned steady with all the comfort of the hearth they both missed, and it was enough simply to be together. Talking and touching as they cuddled on the couch in front of a cheap space heater. Now that they had their own apartment, it was hard to remember how they had managed through those years in the dorms. And how she had managed all the years before her father's death.

"Riza, are you okay?" Roy asked, squeezing her gently. He pushed her hair back from her face when she said nothing. "Riza?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I was thinking about my father's house, and for a moment, it was almost like I was there."

Roy hugged her tight and kissed the top of her head. "It's okay. You're safe now. You'll never have to be alone like that again, not ever. You'll never have to be afraid of going hungry or having the power shut off either." She was still trembling in his arms, and so he kissed her again, saying, "You don't have to strong for me. You don't have to hold the world together. It won't fall apart if you do."

Reluctantly, Riza let go of the last of her defenses, and she began to cry into Roy's chest while he held her and kissed her and reassured her of his love. _Maybe he's right_ , she realized as she sobbed. _Maybe I don't have to hold the world together all the time, at least not if he's willing to do it for me when I can't._

"I wish I could take this from you," he said, placing a gentle hand on her back. "I wish I could make it stop hurting."

"You're doing enough," she said in a shaky voice that was completely unfamiliar to her.

He continued to hold her until the tears, and eventually, the sobs, had stopped, and when she looked up at him with a tear-stained face, the warmth in his eyes nearly made her start crying again. With a reassuring smile, he placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry for reacting like that. I think it was just the stress that got to me," she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"Finals suck ass," Roy agreed. "But you've been through a lot, and I know you want to bottle it up so you won't burden anyone, but you can't do that forever. Maybe it's stupid of me to say it out loud, but you really can count on me to listen when you need me to." With his thumb, he dried the tears Riza had missed.

"I know you are, and I'm grateful for that." She paused for a long moment, and Roy waited respectfully until she gathered the courage to admit what she should have admitted a long time ago. "But I need more help than that. I think I need to talk to a therapist, too."

To her surprise, Roy nodded. "I think that's a great idea."

"You do?" she asked.

"Of course I do. It's been at the back of my mind ever since your father died, but I know how hard it is for you to open up to me, so I didn't want to suggest you open up to a complete stranger." He looked a little sheepish and Riza almost smiled.

"Would you go with me?" she asked. "Just for the first little bit—until I'm more comfortable."

"I'll go for as long as you need me," he promised.

"I'll always need you, Roy," she said, smiling at last, even if it was only a faint one. "But I think I'll adjust after a few appointments. It's such a relief that you're supporting me in this, honestly. Thank you."

He hugged her tight, feathering kisses through her hair. "Anything for you, Riza. I just want you to be happy."

She buried her face in his chest again, feeling a little better already. She certainly felt lighter. With her eyes closed, she reminded herself that she was safe her in Roy's arms, and that her father was dead and buried, and that even if he were alive, she was far beyond his reach—happy and loved and in a relationship that had only improved as the years passed.

"It's okay, Riza," he said, and she could feel his voice resonating in his chest beneath her ear. "You don't have to do this all at once, but you don't have to hold everything in either. Let it out if you need to."

After several moments of deep, shuddering breaths and the gentle motion of Roy's hands against her back, she let go at last, crying more freely than she had before. But she noticed, as Roy held her tighter, that there were tears of relief and gratitude mixed with the more painful ones, and the realization warmed her even more thoroughly than the heater or the blanket. It turned her tears into something almost like summer rain.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for the long wait! I've been a little nervous about posting this chapter since it deals with a sensitive topic, but hopefully I'll feel more confident about future updates now that it's out there. Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy this one!

Nestled contentedly in Roy's arms beneath their down comforter, with snow falling outside, Riza began to drift into a peaceful sleep. Her peace, however, was disturbed only a moment later when Roy's phone rang. He groaned a he withdrew his arm from Riza and reached for the phone. "Hello?" he said, sounding as grumpy as Riza felt. "Hang on a sec. I'll put you on speaker." Placing the phone on his pillow above Riza' head, he pushed the speaker button and Maes's voice nearly ruptured her eardrums.

"Can you both hear me now?"

"Loud and clear," Roy said, putting his arm around Riza once more.

"Guess where I am!"

" _I'm_ in bed with my fiancée, so I'd rather you make this quick," Roy grumbled. Riza raised an eyebrow at the implication, but he didn't seem to notice.

Roy's grumpiness did little to deter Maes. "Better make it quick because Gracia's in labor! We're at the hospital."

"And I assume you want Roy there," Riza said, watching with some amusement s Roy made shushing gestures at her and pushing him away when he attempted to put a hand over her mouth. "Of course we'll be there."

"Perfect! I'll tell the nurse we're expecting visitors! See you soon!"

Roy pressed the end call button and groaned loudly, rolling onto his back and throwing his arm across his forehead in exasperation. Shaking her head, Riza rolled onto her stomach and rested her chin on Roy's chest. "He's your best friend," he said.

"So are you, and you're right here wearing absolutely nothing at all." He gave her a suggestive glance, which she ignored.

"I'm going, and if I go, you're coming with me." She poked him gently between the ribs. "I'll drive."

Roy sighed and gave her a longsuffering look. "Fine, but I want coffee."

"Done."

They climbed out of bed, dressed in warm, comfortable clothes, and Roy sulked until Riza pulled the car into the drive through of a twenty-four hour coffee shop. As the caffeine took effect, his mood improved considerably. "I can't believe that nerd is going to be a father," he said.

"You're jealous," Riza said without taking her eyes off the road."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Riza shook her head. "No need to get defensive. I can understand why you would be when Maes only met Gracia three years ago while you and I have been together since we were children ourselves."

"So maybe I am a little jealous, but we'll have an easier time finishing school than they will, and I like knowing that I'll have you all to myself for at least a few more years. I just always imagined our kids growing up together, you know?"

Riza pulled into a parking space in the nearly-deserted hospital parking lot and looked over at Roy at last. His eyes were far away, and as soon as she turned the key, she reached out to touch his leg. "Do you really think those two will stop before they have a basketball team?"

Roy placed his hand over hers. "You're right."

But as they got out of the car, a sense of disquiet settled over Riza's heart that she attempted to force down to be dealt with later. They walked arm in arm toward the hospital, white flakes catching in Roy's black hair and clinging to his eyelashes. When he noticed that Riza was watching him, he tilted his head up, grinning as he slipped his tongue between his lips to catch a particularly large snowflake.

Inside, while they waited for an elevator, Roy took Riza's hands between his own and rubbed them vigorously, lifting them to his mouth to warm them with his breath. The elevator arrived and he pressed a kiss to her fingertips before she pulled away to step through the doors. In the few seconds of silence that followed as they traveled upward, Riza shifted her weight away from the foot nearest Roy and hugged her arms around herself. The unpleasant emotion in her heart had grown to a sense of dread she feared he would pick up on if she left herself open to him.

Maes was waiting for them outside the maternity ward and he was practically vibrating with excitement. He ushered them back, chattering away at Gracia's epidural and current state of dilation until Riza cut him off.

"Are Gracia's parents here yet?"

"They're trying to get a flight, but I don't think they'll make it in time. Our little girl didn't want to wait for her due date, and I don't think she wants to wait for her grandparents either." He pushed the door open and waved Roy and Riza inside. Gracia looked surprisingly relaxed and she greeted them with a tired smile.

Roy hung back as Riza and Maes went to Gracia's side. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

"If you don't mind, would you get me ice chips and a nurse, please?" Gracia said.

"Ice, chips, and a nurse. Got it." With that, Roy disappeared into the hall.

"I didn't know Roy was squeamish," Maes said. He seemed amused at Roy's sudden departure.

Riza shook her head. "He's not. He doesn't want to make Gracia uncomfortable."

Gracia shifted in the bed. "He's family. He can stay," she said, closing her eyes. "You're lucky he isn't squeamish. I know I wouldn't want to do this without Maes here."

Riza nodded, but when an out of breath Roy appeared in the doorway a few moments later, she began to reconsider her luck. He leaned against the frame, trying to catch his breath and holding out a bag of potato chips. "The cafeteria was closed but I found a vending machine and the nurse said she'd bring ice."

Not fully sure that she wanted to hear the answer, Riza gestured toward the bag in his hand. "What are those?"

"The chips Gracia asked for," he said, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I asked for ice chips, not potato-" The end of Gracia's sentence was drowned in a cry of pain.

As if on cue, the nurse arrived with a cup of ice chips and pushed past Roy to get to the bed. While she examined Gracia, Roy moved to stand beside Riza. He opened the chip bag and held it out to Riza, who shook her head in disapproval and pushed his hand away. Shrugging as if to say _more for me,_ Roy began to eat. Maes reached over to take a chip before going to Gracia's side and placing his hand in hers. As soon as he did so, she squeezed it so tightly that Maes winced.

The nurse stepped aside and said, "I'll get the doctor. The baby is crowning."

While Gracia clung to Maes and struggled to hold in more cries of pain, Roy clung to Riza, his chips forgotten. She looked over at him in concern to find that he was several shades paler than normal. "Gracia," she said, "I'll be back, but I need to step out for a moment."

After a nod from Gracia, she led Roy out into the hall. She stroked his hand soothingly as he sank against the wall. "Deep breaths."

A little color returned to his face as he followed her instructions. "How are you so calm?" He asked, clearly oblivious to the anxiety that had staked its claim on her in the time since they had arrived. "I've seen babies and I've seen your vagina and babies are not that small."

"I realize that, but it is meant to stretch, Roy. You didn't react like this to the video in sex ed," she reminded him.

"Like I was even paying attention to that when I was sixteen and my only real concerns about sex were when we were going to have it next and that your father was going to find out that we were sleeping together." Roy tried to smile at her, but he was still too shaken to hold the expression. Riza could relate; the mention of her father had given form to her anxieties at last, and she took his hand as much to comfort herself as to reassure him.

His eyes met hers and she knew that he could tell something was wrong. A frown pulled at his features as he looked her over, trying to guess what, exactly, was going through her head. The concern in his eyes was enough to pull the truth from her: "Roy, I don't think I want kids," she said. Her voice broke and she looked away, unable to face his reaction.

As her luck would have it, Maes chose that precise moment to stick his head out into the hall. "Are you coming back in?"

"We need a minute," Roy said. Once Maes had gone back into the room, Roy put his hands on Riza's shoulders. "There's some chairs down that way. I think we both need to sit down."

She could feel her heartbeat in her head, throbbing around her skull, but through her fear, one thing kept her walking: Roy held her hand like a lifeline. They reached the chairs and sank into them, fingers still laced together. "Did you just barely come to that conclusion? Or were you too afraid to tell me?" Roy asked at length, not meeting her eyes but watching snow drift past the window behind them.

"I was too afraid to admit it to myself until I blurted it out back there." She watched him watch the snow with a heavy sensation of loss settling over her. Seven years together, and it was all going to be shot to hell now. The wedding, the honeymoon, the apartment. She supposed her grandfather would help her find someplace to live until graduation, but even though she had never considered herself the type to _need_ someone, the thought of losing Roy like this left her feeling colder than the glass on which she had leaned her head. It was too much for her to hold in, and she began to cry. It started softly, with her shoulders barely shaking, but within a matter of seconds, she was sobbing harder than she could remember having sobbed in the years since her mother's death. She tucked her knees up to her chest, resting her heels on the edge of her chair, and feeling as though she would never be happy again.

Hours seemed to pass while she cried and she was surprised to look up and see Roy watching her with an expression of horror and a hand held halfway between them, fingers curled slightly. "Riza, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, and god I feel like such an ass right now, but can you please tell me what's going on?"

She let out a bark of laughter and she was alarmed at how cruel it sounded. "Weren't we just talking about how you wished you were going to be a father at the same time as Maes?"

"Well," he said sheepishly, "yes, but not if you aren't on board with it. You're kind of stuck with me at this point."

"You aren't mad at me?" she asked, her voice as soft as the whisper of wind outside.

Roy cocked his head. "I feel like I'm missing something here. Is this about you not wanting kids or you driving me to the hospital in the middle of the night when both of us are fine?"

"The first one," she said.

"In that case, no. I'm definitely confused, but I'm only mad about the second thing." He shook his head. "I guess that's how we know the kid really does belong to Maes. Shitty timing."

Riza attempted a smile, but her lips refused to move, and more tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. Roy reached out to wipe them away as soon as they fell.

"You really don't mind?" she asked.

"I wanted kids, yes, but, Riza? I'd rather have you. If this is what it takes to keep you, it's a small price to pay." He cupped a hand to her cheek and she pressed it closer, feeling as though she would drown in her heartache if he pulled away.

"I'm sorry," she said. It was all she could say, and it came as a surprise when Roy leaned in to kiss her. It was short and sweet and very different from the kisses they had exchanged in the hour that had preceded the phone call that had brought them here. When Roy pulled away, he rested his forehead against Riza's.

"You don't have to be sorry," he said, sweeping her hair behind her ears and tangling his fingers in it. "I'm a very selfish man, you know. There's a part of me that's relieved I'll never have to share you with anyone."

"And the rest of you?" Riza asked.

"I will admit that there's another part of me that thinks you'd be a kickass mom and that we'd make the most adorable children on the planet. The rest of me is currently occupied with an intense desire to study necromancy so I can throat punch your father." When Riza tried to laugh, it turned into more tears, which Roy quickly kissed away.

"I think you've cried more in this past week than the last ten years," he said sadly. "I hate seeing you hurt like this."

"I've been hurting for a long time. I just tried to keep it to myself before," she said.

"Do you want to go home?" Roy asked.

Riza shook her head. "You need to be here for Maes. Go back and see if he's okay."

Clearly surprised, Roy pulled back and looked at Riza with narrowed eyes. "Are you sure you want to be alone right now?"

"I think I could use a few minutes to myself now that I know we're going to be okay."

He pressed a kiss to her temple as he stood. "Damn right we are. I'll be back soon." As he left, Riza turned to the window and watched his reflection in the glass. To her surprise, he stopped. "One last thing before I go. Hypothetically, when we have a real house with a real yard, could you see us with a few more dogs?"

For the first time since her realization, Riza smiled through her tears. "Of course."

Roy left and she shifted slightly, tucking her legs beneath her rather than holding them like a lifeline. Through the flurries of snow outside, she could see Roy's car— _her_ car, too, now, she remembered—beneath a blanket of white. It would be a pain to dig it out, but with Roy to help her, she knew it wouldn't take too long.

He wasn't going to abandon her. That should have been enough to completely heal the wound in her heart, but for some reason it wasn't, and when she caught a glimpse of her own tear-streaked face reflected in the window, she had to fight back another wave of sobs. It was so stupid a thing to be upset over. She should have realized a long time ago that Roy was going to stay with her through everything. Perhaps she should have realized it when she was six years old and he had come with her to the hospital, even though he had clearly wanted to be outside playing with his other friends. But Riza had always come first, ever since he had first befriended her, and now she had a ring on her left hand that he had no intention of taking back even though she had just shattered one of his dreams.

Mopping her face with her sweater sleeve, she got to her feet, ignoring the pins and needles as she walked back to Gracia's room. She was asleep already from the effort of labor, but Roy and Maes sat in the chairs on the far side of the room, heads together as they whispered. When Riza entered, they looked up, and she noticed the bundle of blankets in Roy's arms.

Ignoring the ache in her heart at the sight, she made her way silently over to them and crouched down to get a better view.

"Riza, this is Elicia," Maes whispered. "Elicia, meet Riza."

"Hi," Riza said, her voice little more than a squeak.

"Maes asked if we would be the godparents. I said I'd wait to ask your opinion first," Roy said. His dark eyes were filled with equal parts pleading and hesitation, and how could she deny him this?

"I think that would be wonderful, Maes," she said.

He stood and gave her a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you. Gracia will be so happy when I tell her."

When Maes sat back down, Roy passed Elicia back to him, and Riza realized she had only seen the man so happy on his wedding day. It made her feel almost guilty, but Roy was smiling at her with the lovestruck wonder that Maes was now directing toward his sleeping wife, and Riza knew it was going to be alright. She held out a hand and pulled Roy to his feet.

"We need to get going," Roy said. "Call us tomorrow afternoon sometime and let us know if you need anything."

"Will do," Maes said without looking at either of them.

"Take care," Riza said.

Roy didn't let go of her hand as they left the room and made their way back toward the elevators. If anything, he only clutched it tighter. As soon as the doors closed behind them, hiding them from the world (if not the security camera), he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her until the doors opened again.

"I love you, Riza Hawkeye," he said.

"I love you, too." She smiled, and it was a stronger one than before. No more tears threatened to fall, and she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Arms now around each other's waists, they headed out into the snow.


End file.
